She Came From Outta Space! I Think?
by Trash-queen-puffy
Summary: Waking up on the deck of a pirate ship in the middle of the ocean is not how Tanisha Lowe really planned her weekend to begin. Equipped with her trusty roller blades and yo-yo's to smack people with she's ready to take on the high seas with her new and unexpected friends. Current arc: Water 7
1. Chapter 1

Tanisha Lowe found herself in a situation that could have been totally avoided, but wasn't because she was a lazy teenage girl that would much prefer to put off such a boring task because roller skating is so much cooler.

What's this current predicament you may ask? Well…

"This assessment will be one hour long, with fifteen minutes set aside for planning. No talking, no eating and no cheating," the history teacher droned. Tani sat with her pen tapping hard against the side of the small desk. She hadn't studied at all and now she's got to recall events from the French revolution to write an essay about it. Honestly she only remembered guillotines, the fall of Bastille, the word bourgeoisie because it was funny, and that the leader was called Lafayette. Other than that she was kinda stuck…

She spent about twenty minutes writing the essay, then she gave up and stared out the window to think about something more interesting than some old French dudes telling the peasants to chop off rich dudes heads. Her mind wandered, imagining herself running around with a rapier in hand while wearing a mask. Massive hat with three feathers and a wide brim bouncing on her head as she duels against the world's greatest musketeer. How they danced around the battlefield that consisted of stone walls and gorgeous ballrooms.

"Miss Lowe,"

She thrust the rapier forward, knocking her opponents out of his grasp.

"Miss Lowe,"

He gave a bow of the head, accepting defeat.

"Miss Lowe!"

A book thunked against the daydreaming girls head, she held the sore spot while members of the class giggled and laughed at her. Tani narrowed a glare at the teacher. She never liked the history teacher, a shame since she found history kinda interesting, if not a bit too glorifying of what the winners did. Learning about the American revolution was rather awkward, with all her classmates singling her out. Perks of not being barbie doll white she guessed.

"I wonder if you actually did any work," the teacher sneered. Snatching the page from Tani's desk and slapping it onto the growing pile. Tani crossed her arms and tapped her feet on the ground while waiting for the teacher to hurry up and dismiss them. She had a really delicious ham and cheese sandwich in her locker just begging to be eaten.

The teacher clacked the pages on her desk to neaten them up, her expression as bored as always. The class waited with baited breath, the bell would go off any sec-

*bing*

The students skidded from their seats and practically bolted for the door. Tani being one of those on the run. She wasn't the fastest but you can bet your ass that when a homemade sandwich is involved she's gonna make a run for it. Mum does have this knack for making everything taste a million times better.

Tanisha Lowe may be 17 years old, but her mum insisted on making her lunches. Who was she to deny her mother such a joy in life? Plus she would always write a sweet note in the container that held her delicious goodies.

She pushed herself through the ocean of students, her locker wasn't too far from the history room, she was also taller than most girls her age so she had a better view of where she was going.

Tani clicked her locker open and stared at the bare interior. She didn't have magnets with photos of her friends, mainly because she had neither a camera nor friends. All her posters were too big for the small compartment and she didn't have stickers. She did have her timetable taped to the side… and she had maths right after break… ew… yeah she was gonna skip that class thank you very much. She grabbed her entire bag, and closed the locker without grabbing any books. Time to head to her favourite spot.

Tani headed outside and sat down on the bench she normally found herself drawn to during break. The bench was parked right behind the basketball courts. She pulled out the sandwich her mother made, along with the note which read "dear ground control, the earth is looking fine today because you're living in it. Lots of love major Tom," with a little love heart on the corner. She couldn't help but smile at the cheesy note, but that's mum for ya.

Looking out towards the basketball courts filled with her classmates playing said game. A majority of them just mess around and have fun in the company of each other. Tani let out a sigh, now's not the time to feel sorry for yourself. That's when she heard the sound of shouting and a ball bouncing it's way towards her.

The basketball landed by her feet, the orange contrasting greatly with the green of her shoes. She leaned down to grab the ball and held it in her lap while she waited for the group of teenage boys to run over and collect it.

Three boys approached her, they were familiar. She had them all in her English class, they happened to be the class clowns. Very popular with the ladies. One of them approached her with a strained smile.

"that's our ball, thanks for picking it up," he said with plastic sweetness. Tani gave a sheepish expression.

"uh... have room for another player?" she asked shyly. It was worth a shot, plus who knows? Maybe she could make some friends. The three boys looked at each other, communicating their answer with just their eyes.

"aha, sorry Tanisha… but we already have teams with even numbers," he lied. She saw that they only had 15 players.

She just grinned and handed the ball back.

The boys ran off, laughing to themselves about whatever. It didn't concern the dark skinned girl, she could entertain herself anyway. A soft smile on her face, she reached into her bag to pull out a pair of plastic yo-yo's that her mother gave her on her 15th birthday. They were a little worn but that's to be expected with such excessive use. She gave them some warm up tosses and twirls, before getting more experimental.

The basketball courts looked rather bland today, maybe a walk would help? Of course it would! The primary school side of campus always had some entertaining adventures to have. So she got up from her bench and wandered off, still messing around with her yo-yo's.

"I'm the captain! Set sail!" The loud shouts of a boy, no older than maybe 10 years old. This grabbed Tani's attention. She walked towards the group of young boys standing on a picnic table playing pirates or something. She watched with curiosity as the boys all ran around to take on the orders of the captain who stood proudly on the very top of the table. That looked like fun.

"Mind if I join your crew mister captain?" Tani leaned against the table, tilting her head up to look at the stunned captain. He crossed his arms and laughed with a deep voice, used to sound cooler, "Ha ha ha! Girls can't be pirates! Dad said that's bad luck," His tone was playful.

The smile Tani had in her face shifted into a smirk, "Girls can't be pirates? Well that's not true, what about captain Rose of the Rosalia pirates?" she retorted, now standing in front of the table with her arms crossed to mimic the boy before her. He stared at her with a slack jaw, like the concept of a female pirate never crossed his mind. His pirate crew had stopped moving and all gathered around the captain, ready to hear the tales of captain Rose and her crew.

"Many people have yet to hear the tale of Captain Rose and her crew, some say she was the strongest woman to ever sail the seven seas!" Tani told them, the boys all leaned in closer. "She's fought huge sea monsters, like the kraken and great white shark!" her arms motioned out wide, earning gasps from some of the boys. "She has faced many foes, like Blackbeard and the legendary captain Kidd. Both fights she walked away without a single scratch. To this day she's still great pals with those old bags," the boys gasped at Tani's claims.

She brought her hand closer to her mouth, her pointer finger held in front of her mouth, she paused. The boys all leaned even closer, practically in her face as they listened to her with great intensity. Then she clicked her finger and chuckled as the boys all backed away in surprise. "it's said that Captain Rose has a legendary treasure hidden away on a secret island that can't be found on any maps of the world, the mystery treasure is said to be worth more than the president and queen's money combined, and those who find it," she paused, the boys all bounced with anticipation.

"will rule the whole entire world,"

The boys all gasped in amazement, the captain from before hand jumping to the ground and holding a stick he had found on the grass high in the air.

"Crew! We must find Captain Rose's legendary treasure and together we will rule the world!" he rallied, the rest of the boys cheered with him. Tani looked at them with a wide grin, letting out a hearty laugh. She jumped on the table and saluted her captain, who saluted back.

They spent lunch time fighting massive sea monsters (mostly Tani making roaring noises while chasing the kids around) and collecting gold (sticks and leaves) for their treasure collection.

Then the bell rang it's awful, pitchy tone. Tani groaned at the sound, as did the boys. They bid farewell, Tani promising to come back tomorrow to play pirates some more. They waved and ran off to their classroom. Tani turned around and walked towards her side of the campus… mainly the exit.

This would have to be rather stealthy, because she knew that a teacher would be on patrol (there's always someone on patrol, what is this? A prison!) she held onto the straps of her bag, she hid behind a tree that was close to the gate. It would only take a quick sprint and she'd be out scott free. She looked around. No teachers in sight.

Time to make a break for it.

Making a run towards the school gate. The gates were closed but that hasn't stopped her before, and it was only five feet high. A smirk on her face, she picked up the pace and just before she would have slammed into the gate, she jumped up and grabbed the metal bars on top of the gates and tossed herself over in one swift movement. Her legs slamming into the concrete ground below her.

"Hey! get back here!" the booming voice of a teacher caught the escapee's attention, she didn't turn back and opted to make a run for it. Laughing off the adrenaline with her mess of dark brown curls flowing behind her.

The walk home was pleasant enough. Cars drove by, birds flew passed, chatter chatter could be heard. The weather was sunny and warm, she probably shouldn't be wearing that denim jacket but gosh they looked cool so Tani didn't care.

The houses she passed slowly started to shrink in size, the path getting more crackly and sun bleached. Only five more lamp posts and she'd be home. The girl decided to run the rest of the way, only to pause when she spotted her mother's beaten up car in the driveway. Mum must have had an early finish at work today. Tani gave a gulp of air before carefully entering her house as quiet as possible.

The sound of soft snoring echoed through the small and bare living room. Tani rounded the corner of the small hallway to find her mother flopped on the couch with one leg and arm hanging over the side. She was belly down, her face squished on the tiny couch. Drool pooled out her mouth, eye bags dark and prominent. Tani gave a loving smile, walking to the slumbering parent and giving her a kiss on the cheek. The older woman stirred but didn't wake up. Tani left the couch to grab an apple from the fridge. She bit into it, the loud crunch seemed to echo through the room. Her mother gave a tired groan, but shifted and continued sleeping.

Now Tani felt bad for being home… It is a beautiful day, and the skate park would be free… Perfect!

Tani was to her room to grab her skates from the floor. She might as well practice that grind rail trick that she'd yet to perfect quite right. She could keep her balance, even on one foot! But she wasn't perfectly there when it came to tricks.

She walked out the door, waving goodbye to her mum even though the woman was sleeping. The moment she closed the door, she dropped to the floor to attach her skates to her feet. Bagging her regular shoes. She clicked her heels together, because you can't start a perfect skate without a click of the heels for safe travels! And raced to the skate park.

When she arrived the place was completely void of life. Perfect! This is exactly what she wanted. Tani scooted herself towards the rails, practicing her grind for a while. She felt her mind wander, remembering the pirate adventure she had with those kids.

She glided across the ring as if she was flying like a gale in a ship's sails, the thought brought up the Rosalia pirates and their awesome captain Rose. The story may have been fake, but the sparks of inspiration and wonder that lit within the boys was as real as can be. Tani twirled and jumped through the air, as if she was dancing with the wind. Her jacket spread like wings, the weight of the world leaving her mind as she felt weightless and free for a blissful moment... Then her feet smacked into a bar she had failed to notice. Balance was lost, and the girl fell face first into the dirt underneath her.

Tani groaned to herself, a rush of pain bloomed in her head when she pushed herself off the ground. Her hands rubbed the pained spot in a comforting way to help ease the pain. In recovering, Tani noticed the shine of something hidden in the bushes that surrounded the rings outside.

Stumbling slightly due to the combination of a head injury and roller blades on a soft surface. Tani managed to reach the bush, her arms too short to reach the shiny thing without falling into the bush. She let out a sigh before lowering herself into a crawl and passing through the bushes into an opening. Like a secret hideaway. Tani looked around in amazement, the shine that brought her here once again catching her attention.

Her hand reached out to grab the shining object, but when her hand touched it. The shine disappeared, as if it had never been there. A shiny little bell rested in the palm of her hand. Shaking it produced a small jingle, nothing special. A huff left the girl as she stood in the opening and looked around her, the warm sunshine and calm quiet of the area made for a pretty sweet napping spot. Not sure if it was the headache talking or just the environment, but a wave of sleepiness creeped into the dark girl's mind. A large yawn escaped the now tired girl's mouth. She dropped to the ground, propping her bag up as a pillow. Her head now resting upon the makeshift pillow, eyes growing heavy and breath slowing down. She fell asleep within the minute.

...

The strong smell of salt water in the air hit the nose of an unconscious Tani, the change of environment caused her body to react with a sleep destroying sneeze. Her whole body sprang up with the loud jerk of the body. Her eyes groggily lifted with a blur still present from the relaxing sleep she had awoken from so rudely by her own body being the worst. She rubbed her eyes and blinked away the blur. No longer being surrounded by the greenery that she fell asleep around, now she was on the wooden deck of a boat surrounded by the ocean...

"Where the hell am I!?" she panicked, jumping to her feet and promptly falling over because of her still roller bladed feet. Her breathing hitched at the sound of movement from somewhere on the wooden ship, she quickly took to unclipping the blades from her feet and attaching them to the sides of her bag. Jumping up from the ground she made a break for the side of the ship. She looked out to the horizon to find no land at all! How long was she out?!

No time to question the situation, she draped one leg over the railing preparing herself to jump off. The clapping of sandals and boots drew closer, her head whipping around to reveal four people standing before her.

"What the hell are you doing on our ship?!" The only girl of the group called out to Tani. Who was now pumping with adrenaline, she froze on the spot while her heart pounded hard against her chest. She stared at the group, all of them looked about ready to kill her... Or maybe that was just the adrenaline talking. Either way she wanted off this ship. So with a brave face she kicked her other leg off the deck and dived overboard.

The girl's voice called out to one of her crew mates. Tani was mere inches away from the water when she felt an arm wrap around her waist. Instincts kicked into high gear as she grasped the arm and spun her body to twist the grip off to free herself, in a sorta messy suplex? She didn't know what it was.

Fortunately this worked, as the arm that had grabbed her was now loosened... And the guy who had grabbed her was now falling off the boat with her. The crew above panicked as the both of them broke the surface of the water. Tani resurfaced quickly, shaking her head as the salt water already started to crust on her skin. The crew called out orders, something about the guy who had grabbed her not being able to swim.

What idiot pirate doesn't know how to swim?!

The crew was too busy freaking out that they forgot to actually jump in and save the crew member who was sinking in the first place. Tani didn't really want to have murder added to the list of things she had done in her life, and with a groan she sucked in a breath and submerged herself into the water to find the sinking body of the boy who had grabbed her.

Tani was proud to say that she was one of the best swimmers in her school, winning many first place ribbons in swimming sports events held by the school. So it took her no effort to locate and grab the raven haired boy and pull him back up to the surface. The boy coughed up a lung when the two of them could breath, his body was as stiff as a board. It was like he couldn't move at all! The wide eyes of the boy looked into Tani's swampy green eyes, a huge grin spread across his face. Tani ignored him and called up to his crew.

"Oi! Can you come collect your idiot friend over here!" she waved the arm that wasn't keeping the board of a boy afloat. This caught the attention of the red head girl, who ordered the guy with green hair to lower a rope ladder for the two in the water to climb. Tani paddled as best she could over to the ladder and lifted the boy up to grab and pull himself out of the water. Once he was out, he looked back at her with that huge grin still plastered to his face.

"You'll die if you don't get aboard," called out the red head, who was leaning over the railing, "There isn't an island for miles, and I don't see any boats," she reasoned.

Tani looked up, weighting out her options. She was in an unknown location, stuck in the middle of the ocean with random people on a random boat made of wood! What is this? The dark ages? But these people are still strangers to her, what if they wanted to sell her into the slave trade? Or butcher her for organs to sell on the black market? She'd heard the crazy shit that happens to people.

She didn't have time to think before she was once again grabbed, this time by the shoulders and ripped out of the water. Her brain only now catching up to the fact that the boy she had saved was now tossing her onto the boat... His arms had stretched like a strip of bubblegum!

Tani's heart rate accelerated at the crazy display. His arms retracted back into him, as if that whole thing never happened. Tani's eyes darted back and forth between the four people standing in front of her. She scurried as far away from them as she could, not wanting to be close to the crazy elastic guy or the tall dude with the green hair and three swords hanging off his belt! Why three? Who knows!

"Why are you on this ship?" the redhead asked, her voice was very demanding which really struck a chord with Tani. The panic now washed away with a face of attitude, she stood up off the ground. Her heart hadn't stopped pounding against her chest, her legs had a slight shiver to them, but her body stood strong and tall even in the face of danger. She crossed her arms, and didn't say a word.

The red head groaned, "Look, we don't want to cause any trouble. We've had enough of that from the black cat pirates. Now tell us how you got on the ship and we won't kick your ass." she threatened. Tani stiffened at that comment, and weighted out her options again. Pissing off the only people in this area probably wasn't the greatest idea.

"look Ginger, I have no idea why I'm here. One minute I'm taking a nap in the bushes next to the skate park, the next I'm waking up on a boat in the middle of whatever ocean this is," she stated bluntly, masking her fear under an aggressive tone. The red head narrowed her eyes, like she was staring into Tani's soul. When the boy that couldn't swim waltzed over and poked Tani on the cheek.

"I think she's cool," the boy declared, and a laugh followed his claim. Catching Tani off guard, while his crew mates seemed to react in a manner as if this was regular for the guy. "I mean she's a mystery girl," he continued, poking her cheek a couple more times before she batted his hand away. Which received two hands poking her cheeks. She tried to push him away from her, but he jumped out of the way and kept poking at her. She growled and continued to attack while he dodged her every move, the both of them ignoring the angered cries of the red head who was yelling at both of them for ignoring her.

The two continued to mess around, Tani loosened up a bit at the playfulness of the boy. Even losing that snooty scowl in exchange for a small smile as she worked harder to fight back against the pokes to her cheeks. That all came crashing down when the red head smacked the both of them in the heads. The red head tapped her heels.

"Luffy! Do you realize that she could be a danger to this crew?" she scolded, the boy looked up at her with that big grin and laughed. "We don't even know who she is! What if she's a spy sent by the marines?" She asked, he turned his head towards their newest occupant.

"So what's your name mystery girl?" he asked, she looked around at the group of people surrounding her, the guy with the swords had sat by the railing and looked as if he was about to take a nap, the guy with a big nose and goggles had been standing behind the mast the whole time with shaking legs. Luffy pointed at the different people on the ship.

"That's Zoro, the greatest swordsman on the east blue," he pointed at the green haired guy, the guy lazily waved before losing interest. "that's Usopp, the ship's sniper and liar," he motioned towards the guy with the shaking legs, "and this is Nami, the ship's navigator," he stated when pointing at the red head. He pointed to himself, "And I'm Luffy, the captain and future king of the pirates,"

Tani blinked.

"Hold up! You're the captain?" Tani pointed at him, Luffy cheerily nodded to confirm her question. She laughed at the absurdity, "But how can you be the captain, if you can't even swim?" she giggled. Luffy's smile dropped slightly but was still there.

"well aren't you gonna say your name?" Nami grumbled, leaning on the railing opposite from Tani and Luffy. Tani rolled her eyes

"the names Tanisha,"


	2. Chapter 2

Tani stood before the crew she had just introduced herself to. Nami gave her a look of disapproval. Tani was really starting to dislike the judgemental looks she got from the red head. Nami spoke up to grab everyone's attention, "Well we don't have any extra boats for you to use, so you're stuck here until the next island. Make yourself useful and stay out of my way," and with that she walked away from everyone and disappeared from view.

Tani poked her tongue out in the direction of Nami. Riled up and needing a way to relax she pulled her bag off her shoulders and opened the main pocket. Fishing inside to grab one of her yo-yo's, the string already secured around her index finger. She whipped the toy out and began warming up with a few simple ups and downs, as per usual. The distaste for a certain red head washed away with every bounce of the spinning circle.

Tani hadn't failed to notice the awe on Luffy's face as he watched the yo-yo bounce up and down in a hypnotic fashion. She normally had this effect on little kids, but a guy that looks roughly her age... Make that two because the Usopp guy is also watching the yo-yo with awe. A smirk snuck it's way onto her face as she upped her game and started performing tricks.

Usopp left his hiding place and stood beside Luffy as they watched and gasped whenever Tani did anything with the yo-yo. She didn't appear to be a threat, but the thoughts on most of their minds was how this mystery girl magically appeared on the ship.

Nami watched her from the kitchens window, spying on her in case she did anything to harm the idiots she was travelling with. A sigh left her, the girl was rather hostile and held her guard up. So getting anything out of her wouldn't be easy, and those idiots would trust anything that didn't attack first. Nami was truly questioning why the hell she was on this crazy ship in the first place. She turned her attention back to the cheering Luffy as he tried to play around with the toy that Tanisha had brought with her.

"Alright, how about we start by trying to get the yo-yo back into our hands," she instructed Luffy and Usopp, who now held the spare yo-yos that she had in her bag, she kept spares in case little kids wanted to play around with them. She demonstrated by dropping the yo-yo down the string and pulling it back up with a flick of the wrist. The yo-yo now rested in her palm, she motioned for them to try it. Usopp caught on pretty quickly, getting it after attempt two or three... Luffy was not so great.

"Mines broken," he pouted, Tani snickered, before walking to his side and putting her hand right next to his.

"Follow my lead," she requested, dropping and flicking the yo-yo back up. Luffy watched closely, and repeated, doing just as she instructed and was rewarded with the yo-yo rolling back up the string into his hand.

"Woooh this is awesome!" he cheered, Tani felt a smile form on her face at how happy he was from something so simple. Then again she couldn't really talk she found yo-yos and roll ups exciting.

"I wanna do a cool trick now!" Luffy cheered, Usopp cheered too as he also asked to learn a new trick. Tani looked between the two. When a nasty shot of pain raced to her head. The headache she had forgotten decided to pop its ugly mug back into existence. Both of Tani's hands went up to massage the pulsing spot on her forehead.

The headache reminding her of the days previous events, playing pirates with the boys, the nap in the bushes only to find herself waking up on the deck of a pirate ship. It all seemed a bit too coincidentally, like a crazy realistic dream. Which would explain the strange thing that Luffy did with his arms being all stretched and throwing her onto the boat. That's just it right? This is all a dream. Yet... The pain in her head was all too real. Wasn't it a thing that if you feel pain when dreaming, then you aren't really dreaming? The questions piled on top of each other.

"Hey!" Usopp waved a hand in front of the spaces out girls face, she didn't seem to snap back to reality.

Luffy knocked on top of her head which made her eyes tear up slightly as she flinched away in pain. Usopp hit the top of Luffy's head and scolded him for what he did. Tani fell to the deck and curled in on herself, a mix of the headache and the terror of the situation that she wasn't sure if she was dreaming up, or actually stuck in a world of medieval pirates and stretchy men. The tears dribbled down her face, lip quivering and shoulders shaking.

The boys stopped arguing and freaked out over the crying girl on the ground. Usopp ran to grab Nami in case it was a "girl thing" while Luffy stayed back and tried to cheer her up. He plopped his head next to hers, the rim of his straw hat flattened out under the weight of his head. He stared at her teary face, the familiar smile was gone. Tani opened her eyes and looked into his own, for the second time today she felt like her soul was being analysed by these people who for all she knows could be figments of her imagination.

He sat back up and readjusted his hat onto his head. Tani stayed laying there, looking up at Luffy who kept his eyes on her. He pat her back in a comforting manner, the tears poured out of her eyes faster. What had he gained? Did he see something in her eyes? Tani felt so confused, and at this point was about ready to jump off the boat again.

"Luffy! Tanisha! I've got Nami!" Usopp informed, Nami came down quickly. She placed her hand gently onto Tani's forehead and let out a sigh, turning to quickly smack Luffy upside the head. "you idiot! Can't you tell she's got a fever?" she scolded, Tani flinched. It was a headache before? When did it become a fever?

"Luffy can you carry her into my cabin, she needs to rest." Nami directed, walking away to what was assumed to be the room she had mentioned. Luffy did as told, Tani once again questioned his claims of being the captain of the ship... As well questioning his insane strength! For someone with very little muscle, this guy was carrying her like she was a sack of rice. He rushed her to the room, which Nami promptly kicked him out of.

Nami approached the semi-conscious Tani, and began removing her clothes without being too intrusive. They were still wet from her dive into the water. Chilling her to the bone, Nami removed everything except her underwear and redressed her in a long shirt.

Covering the feverish girl in a blanket, Nami left the room. Luffy and Usopp were standing around the front of the room, worry present in both boys faces. Nami leaned against the wall,

"She's got a fever, most likely from when she jumped into the ocean. She'll be fine if you stay quiet and let her sleep it off," Luffy let out a breath and wiped at his forehead, approaching the door to keep Tanisha company. Only to get a Nami special upside the head for the third time today.

"What the hell was that for?" he pouted, Nami tapped her foot against the ground and pointed at the door.

"Nobody is allowed passed that door, got it? She needs rest, not any more stress than she's already under right now," Nami shoved both boys out of the doors range, Luffy protested the whole time. Remembering the look of loneliness she had in her teary eyes, he clenched his hands in determination to make her feel better. Starting with that fever.

...

Tani tossed and turned in her sleep, springing forward violently in shock. The contents of her dream a mystery to her now, her concerns however were held with the fact that she was still in the cabin like room on the boat, not home with her mother.

Tani's breath hitched at the thought of her mother being sad, and scared over her missing body. The girl pulled her knees closer and sobbed into them, now noticing the long shirt that didn't belong to her that she was wearing. Some what recalling Nami undressing and redressing her, some of her concerns now washing away with a sigh.

Soft breathing was heard from across the room, Tani turned to see Nami sleeping in the bed on the other side of the room. She looked so peaceful, like all that anger she had pent up was gone.

Tani pushed herself out of bed and made her way out the cabin door, her bag lazily slung over her shoulder. When she entered the outside, the cold breeze brushed against her exposed skin. She opened her bag in hopes of finding her windbreaker, and as luck would have it she pulled it out and tossed it over her body. The wind having less impact against her.

Her legs carried her towards the head of the ship, which was shaped as a ram or sheep's head. It felt like that spot in particular was off limits, she wandered around the deck a bit more before settling herself against the mast. She had some packeted snack in her bag, as luck would have it, a fruit roll up found itself in her hand. A small comfort she had from home.

"What's that?" a voice asked, startling the unaware girl who dropped the half eaten treat onto the ground. She looked up to find Luffy staring down at her. He sat down cross-legged beside her, hands resting on his knees. Tani relaxed and picked up the roll up off the ground and continued eating it. Luffy looked at it with great intensity, his mouth watering at the sight of good.

Tani reached into her bag and found another roll up for him... Look she may have snuck too many in her bag but she loved them so don't tell mum!

Luffy took it and mimicked Tani in unwrapping it and without a seconds thought, shoved the whole thing in his mouth. Tani looked stunned, before laughing out loud. Luffy laughed with her, the night was calming and peaceful. Tani looked up at the cloudy night sky, not many stars were present.

"I'm so confused, about everything right now," Tani began, Luffy didn't respond but she could tell he was listening, "I don't know where I am, why I'm here, all that jazz." she pressed herself against the mast, hands pulling the windbreaker closer. "And now I'm stuck on a boat in the middle of the sea, with strangers." her face lowered into her propped up knees as everything sank in.

"We're not strangers. I told you I'm Luffy, so now we know each other," he smiled simply. While technically that's the truth, it didn't provide much comfort.

"What about my mum? She must be worried sick by now," Tani sighed, looking at Luffy. "I wanna go home,"

"Well why don't we just take you home?" Luffy suggested, Tani lifted her head to look his way. He wasn't facing her, "Nami is the best navigator in the whole East Blue, I'm sure she can find your island," he grinned, Tani blinked a few times, her face settled in a solemn smile. Tani turned her gaze back to the cloudy night sky, a weight had been lifted from her shoulders for now.

A cold chill swept across her face, she wanted to go home and hug her mum. Eat a plate of whatever dinner was and watch a movie together. Yet here she is, stuck on a boat going god knows where.

At least the people were nice.

Tani stood up and turned to walk away, before leaving she turned to Luffy and smiled sweetly.

"Thank you, not many people would be this kind to a stranger, let alone one that magically teleported onto their boat," Tani said.

Luffy laughed, standing up and holding out his hand. Tani looked at it, then realized he wanted a hand shake. She held it, and boy did he have a strong grip.

"We're friends aren't we?" he questioned merrily, Tani looked stunned. Her hold loosened in his, but his grip didn't falter. Her breath hitched for the second time that day. Today was just full of surprises for her. Luffy laughed at her reaction. He pulled her closer and draped his free arm over her shoulder, letting go of her hand.

"You... You already consider me a friend?" Tani asked, "But you don't even know me, for all you know. I could be the worst person in the world,". The arm around her shoulders pulled her closer, Luffy's grin shined in the moonlight.

"No way! You're awesome!" he sounded so carefree, "You saved me from drowning and showed me cool tricks with your yo-yo thing! Would an enemy ever do that?" he reasoned. Tani giggled at his childish reasoning skills. She shook her head to answer him.

"Then it's settled! You're my friend," he declared, Tani looked at him in awe. Hearing it be said, hearing that she was considered a friend. It wasn't a foreign saying, but every other time someone had muttered it out to her in the past. It never felt as genuine and heartfelt as it did when the childish straw hatted pirate captain (who had met her less than 24 hours ago) said it. A wobbly smile appeared on her face while joyful tears raced down her cheeks.

"Thank you," she cried. Luffy pulled her even closer, until their cheeks were pressed against each other and laughed, Tani laughed with him.

Nami stood by the entrance to the main deck, watching as Luffy and Tani laughed together. A soft smile graced her face, though she wasn't keen on the girls attitude and didn't trust her as far as she could throw her. It felt like a dose of Luffy would be good for her. Nami turned away and walked back to bed, trusting that the idiot captain would be more than capable of defending himself if she flipped out on him.

...

Morning rolled around, the bright summer sun shone it's rays onto the crew standing outside discussing what to do with the mystery girl. Nami pulled out a map of the world and laid it on the ground, motioning for Tani to look at it. The girl was confused at the sight of the map.

"This can't be it," Tani muttered to herself, looking closer at the unfamiliar map. Terror struck in her eyes. Luffy looked at the map, then back at the shaking girl.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, she remained silent. Usopp and Nami exchanged a look of confusion while Zoro stayed out of it. Tani shook her head in denial, this couldn't be the map, where's America?... Europe?... Asia? ...Australia?! Come on anywhere familiar! This can't be happening. Where am I going to go?! I can't find home!

A finger pressed against her cheek, snapping her out of her cloudy thoughts. She turned to find Luffy with a concerned pout, his finger squishing into her cheek further.

"What's wrong?" he repeated, she stared into his eyes then looked back at the map. As if that would change the contents on the map... It didn't.

She looked back at him and sighed, "This map... Makes no sense to me, this isn't familiar at all," she looked defeated. "I can't go home,". Tani clenched her fists so tight that they whitened ever so slightly, jaw clenched at the reality of the situation. That heavy weight that had been lifted, now slammed back down with double the pressure.

Nami looked at the map, this was a world map. How could Tani not find her island? It was like she wasn't from this world at all. That wasn't possible was it?

"Maybe you just can't find the island, what's it called? I'll find it," Nami suggested, Tanisha looked at the redhead with a defeated frown.

"Cam you find Atlanta on the map? Anywhere at all?" Tani questioned, turning her gaze to the deck. Nami looked over the map, Usopp and Luffy peeked over her shoulder to help with the search... Nothing even remotely came close to the name, Nami checked over the map again to see if she missed any spots. Nothing.

"Well what are we gonna do about her?" Zoro chimed in, now seeming somewhat interested in the turn of events.

"We could just drop her off at the next island and hope for the best?" Usopp suggested, Nami crossed her arms and shook her head.

"For all we know, she knows nothing about this world. Adapting would be pretty difficult." The navigator stated. While the crew discussed her fate, Tani shuffled herself away from the group. She felt lost. Like there was no way to comprehend the situation at all and that's what scared her the most.

"We aren't leaving her behind," Luffy stated in a demanding tone, everyone's attention fell onto the captain. "She's my friend, friends don't leave each other behind," he turned his head to look at her, held a thumbs up and comforting smile her way. Tani's eyes widened, a blooming happiness erupted in her chest.

"Well what are we going to do then? She's not even part of the crew," Nami asked, a slight smirk on her lips. Luffy's eyes widened at the realisation.

"Tani! Join my crew!" he asked... More like demanded, the stunned girl smiled and shook her head while waving her hands in front of her.

"Thanks Luffy, I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to be a bur-" she started, but was silenced when Luffy sling shot himself over to her and pulled her in for a side hug.

"Great! Guys we have our 5th crew member!" he cheered, Tani was still stunned by the stretching arms thing and sudden contact. Finally reality caught up with her and she shook her head. "look Luffy, really it's cool you want me on the crew but I'm not cut out for pirate... Stuff?" she mumbled.

"sure you are!" he rebutted, Tani tried to remove his arm from her shoulders... Tried. Honestly the guys strength was insane!

"Luffy, please listen. I don't want to be a burden on your crew-" she protested, but she was cut off by Nami this time.

"There's really no point in arguing with him, he's as stubborn as a rock, I would know..." she huffed. Luffy chuckled, pumping his free arm in the air while cheering about his new crew member.

...

The past few hours have been some of the most conflicting and confusing in Tanisha's entire life. On one hand, she was grateful for Luffy being so insistent that she join his crew, but on the other hand... She really didn't see what she had to offer for this crew. She couldn't do much, except yo-yo tricks and swimming to save drowning captains. Tani really wanted to accept his offer willingly, but something in the back of her mind held her back. Than again she didn't really have a choice because Luffy couldn't take no for an answer.

"Now that you're part of my crew, my first order as your captain is for you to show me more yo-yo tricks," he declared, Tani's face went blank, then she burst into a fit of giggles. Nodding in agreement. Luffy let go of her shoulders and jumped for joy, Usopp and Nami shook their heads at the idiot captain's shenanigans. Zoro as usual, ignored everyone and took a nap.

"I'll go get my yo-yos then, captain Luffy," she mock saluted and ran for the girls cabin to grab them. When she was out of sight, Nami turned to Luffy.

"She's nakama now huh," Nami questioned. Luffy looked at her with determination, nodding. Nami smiled softly then walked away to check on the ships steering.

Tani reached her bag, a grin on her face. She couldn't stop smiling and it felt great. Her eyes fell onto the roller blades tied to the sides of the bag, a sparkle in her eyes gleamed as the idea of showing off her roller blading skills to her new friend... Friend... Friend! That's right! Luffy's her friend now! She untied the bindings to her blades, slipped them on and secured them. Slipping on two yo-yo strings, one on each hand. She zoomed out the cabin door towards the deck.

The wooden decks created a smooth surface for the expert teen to glide on. Passing the door that lead to the deck, she was greeted with the surprised and excited expressions of Luffy and Usopp, who watched in amazement as she rolled around the deck to show off. She even earned an eyebrow quirk from Zoro... Who lost interest pretty quickly. Tani slowed down, rolling in front of the excited boys and began spinning the yo-yos faster.

"We ready?" she directed to them, Luffy hollered with great enthusiasm, Usopp pumped his arms in the air. Tani moved her arms around to perform some basic tricks while messing around with her footwork in the blades. Luffy and Usopp watched with complete focus on the spinning orbs that danced around the skilled girl. After a couple of tricks, she stopped and took a bow, her breathing much heavier than it normally was. Usopp clapped and Luffy cheered even louder.

"Thank you, you've been a wonderful audience, I think... I think I need to lay down for a bit. All this excitement has made me all dizzy," Tani chuckled tiredly, she went to make a move, but became light headed and started falling towards the deck. Not before Luffy and Usopp broke her fall. Her eyes were closed, as if she had fallen asleep. Usopp panicked slightly, his legs bounced around frantically. Luffy kept a secure grip around her waist, resting one of her arms over his shoulder to keep her held up comfortably.

Usopp placed a hand on her forehead and retracted quickly, "Her fever is still there," he hummed, Luffy frowned. He'd forgotten about that.

"We should take her back to the girls cabin, let her sleep it off," Usopp suggested, Luffy agreed and together they gently carried her into the girls cabin, resting her on one of the beds. "I'll go get Nami, she'll know what to do," Usopp stated, leaving Luffy behind to watch over Tani.

...

Tani's eyes fluttered open, the wooden ceiling of the cabin filled her vision. A sigh left her breath, her arms attempting to push herself up. Only for two hands to push her back down. Her head turned to see a frowning Luffy.

"Nami said you need to rest," he instructed, his voice held an air of authority that honestly left Tani a bit shocked to hear. He was usually so care free.

Tani didn't really dwell on that though, "How long you been here?" she asked him, that frown flipped into a sweet smile.

"Dunno," he replied.

"Why are you still here then?" she asked.

"I wanted to keep you company," he said simply. Tani felt a smile creep up her face, it was like Luffy had this charm that would lighten up anyone's mood.

"So what were those awesome shoes with the wheels?" he leaned closer to the bed.

"Oh? You mean the roller blades?" she questioned, Luffy nodded.

"yeah those! They were so awesome!" he was super excited about them, his arms held high in the air. Tani let out a little giggle, her eyes staring at his arms. Oh right-

"Hey Luffy?" she called, he turned his attention back to her. "It wouldn't be rude to ask about your arms would it?". He looked at his arms, inspecting them.

"What's wrong with my arms?" he asked. She waved her hands in front of her.

"Oh! It's just. You see. Yesterday," she started, "When I was in the water, your arms went all long and stretchy." she made motions with her hands, mimicking an octopus, more than Luffy. He looked back at his arms, the gears clicking in his head. Realisation sparked in his eyes.

"Oh yeah! I ate the gum gum fruit," he hooked a finger in his mouth and pulled at his cheek, it stretched as if it was a piece of elastic. He unhooked the finger and his cheek slapped back into place, "I'm a rubber man," he grinned.

"Rubber man? Wait! So your whole body does that stretchy thing?" she questioned, he nodded his head. She held her chin in thought, "Thats so weird, how does that even work?" her head started to churn question, after question. Luffy shrugged, he honestly had no idea how it worked, he just knew that it did.

"Luffy!" the voice of Nami called from the other side of the door. The boy jumped from his seat and rushed to the door, Nami walked into the room with a plate of food. A grumble filled the room, Tani clenched at her stomach in embarrassment. Luffy went to grab the food, but Nami slammed a fist into his head. Sending him straight to the ground. She walked over to Tani and handed her the plate. It was a simple dish, some bread and sliced meat, with an apple to the side. Tanisha whispered a quick thank you, which Nami nodded in response to. She walked out of the room, dragging Luffy out by the foot.

The room was silent, Tani dug into the meal. Feeling her hunger leave her with every bite. She hadn't noticed how hungry she was, until that food was brought in. Maybe it was because of the stress, or her thoughts being elsewhere. Whatever it was, her headache had began to fade. A smile still spread on her face, at the conversation she shared with her friend.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Usopp! There's a rock we could practice the canon with!" Luffy called out to Usopp, pointing at the rock that was coming into view. Usopp rushed over to Luffy, and looked at the massive rock that was protruding from the ocean depths.

Tani was sitting on the deck, her legs dangling from between the railing. She didn't feel as sick as before, but her head still felt irritated so Nami ordered that she take it easy. The salty ocean breeze was doing wonders in relaxing her. She looked towards the canon that Luffy and Usopp were crowding around, then her gaze moved to the huge rock.

"I betcha I can hit that rock from all the way over here," Usopp declared, Luffy's eyes sparkled with admiration towards the sniper. Tani smirked.

"Oi Usopp! If you hit the rock, I'll give you ten bucks!" she challenged. Usopp gave her a quizzical look,

"What's a buck?" Usopp asked, Luffy turned his attention to Tani as well. Tani looked back at them in confusion. Who the hell doesn't know what money is?

"Money... It's money, you know that thing you use to exchange for stuff,". Luffy and Usopp exchanged a look, before Usopp spoke up.

"Are you talking about berri?" he asked. Tani scrunched her expression.

"Why would you exchange fruit for other stuff? People can just grow berries." Tani responded. Both boys and Tani were more confused than they had been before this whole conversation.

Tani got up from her spot and walked over to the boys, shoving her hand into her bag to pull out her wallet and show off a $10 bill to them. Usopp grabbed it from her and inspected it, Luffy pulled it out of Usopp's hands and looked over it.

"I've never seen a berri that looks like this before," Usopp stated, Tani sighed at the realization that she was pretty much broke in this world. She went to grab the bill from Luffy, but he didn't seem to want to give it back yet, his brain inspecting and processing what it was. Tani just let him have it, it was useless to her at the moment anyway.

"So about that canon?" she motioned between the rock and the canon. Usopp snapped back to the canon, flipping his goggles down to focus on the target. Luffy and Tani watched the marksman ready his shot, a drop of sweat trailed down his forehead before...

Bang!

The canon roared, propelling a canon ball across the sea. The ball hit the rock and practical destroyed the thing, rubble rained into the sea. Small waves erupted and lapped back to hit the boat they were sailing on. An impressive display for the whole family.

Luffy laughed in excitement, praising Usopp for his masterful skills. Tani's gaze was locked on the space the rock once stood proud and strong. Nami came running out to the deck.

"What was that noise? What did you idiots do?" she scolded, as if she was a mum telling off her kids. Tani huffed and walked back to her spot. Wanting to avoid the wrath of Nami. She allowed her legs to dangle with the breeze against the side of the boat. Zoning out for a moment or two.

"Hey Tani!" Luffy called out, waving his whole arm in her direction. He was standing by Usopp, designing the skull and cross bones thing that pirates always have. How long was she zoned out for?

She waved back but didn't move from her spot. Turning her attention back to the... Small boat speeding it's way over to their location. Sandals smacked on the deck as Luffy ran over to Tani, her attention still on the boat.

"Tani! Hey Tani look at the-" Luffy started, before being rudely interrupted by the angry shouts of a man who had just boarded the boat, welding a sword and shades. His cheeks stained with tear trails, looks like he's been crying.

"You dirty pirates!" the guys shouted. He pointed his sword at Luffy and began relentlessly attacking the captain.

Tani watched in awe, Luffy bounced and dodged the man's thoughtless swings. Luffy clasped his upper arm and rolled it, preparing to make the switch from defence to offence.

"Gum Gum!" Luffy shouted, his entire arm having stretched out so far it left the length of the boat. Tani's eyes were wide with curiosity and disbelief. This was definitely one of, if not the strangest fights she had ever witnessed... And she had seen and been in some weird fights back home.

"Oi? Johnny is that you?" the sound of a laid back Zoro called out to the stranger. The guy looked up at the green haired swords man and looked dumbfounded.

"Big bro Zoro?!" he cried. Turning his attention away from the fight with the straw hatted pirate. Luffy didn't seem to notice the conversation though...

"Pistol!" he shouted, his arm flying at an incredibly fast speed directly towards the unsuspecting stranger. Tani didn't know why she moved to the man's defence. Maybe she felt bad that he wasn't paying attention? Or she was a dumbass. Her legs sprang her towards the man who was now talking with Zoro, like he wasn't in the middle of a fight with a rubber man. Her arms out stretched, palms forcefully pushed the man out of the firing range... Leaving her body to now being slammed by the powerful blow Luffy had launched.

The ground left her as she sailed through the air, a pain erupted in her left side from taking the blow. The brown deck had now been replaced with the deep blue sea. At least this would be a cool story to tell her mum when she came home.

She braced to break the surface of the ocean, but in the knick of time she felt a familiar rubber limb snake around her abdomen and haul her back into the deck with a loud thwump. The wind knocked out of her, Tani decided to just lay on the deck for a while, just to give her brain the time it needed to process what the hell just happened. Luffy hovered over her for a moment in a panic, before Usopp and Nami pulling him away to give Tani some space to breath.

"So what brings you here Johnny?" Zoro asked casually, as if the whole 'Tani getting punched into the horizon thing' never happened. Johnny went on a huge rant about being attacked by the canon that Usopp shot at the rock he was resting on with his sick friend Yosaku. This friend still being on the little boat belonging to the two.

Tani sat up and instantly felt the horrible bruise starting to form on her side from Luffy's punch. Both her hands clasped at her left as a hiss passed through her clenched teeth.

Zoro and Johnny went to grab Yosaku from the boat below, the rest of the straw hat pirates went to check on Tani. Luffy panicked and apologised profusely. Nami crouched down to access the damage, concluding that nothing was broken and thus she would survive.

Nami then left to go check on Yosaku who looked like he was on the brink of death. Nami examined the man's health and with a sigh she turned to Luffy and Usopp and commanded that they bring out the limes from storage, and fast! In a flurry of limbs, the boys rushed through the door. Soon returning with barrels of limes... Why there were so many limes? Tani didn't want to ask. They dropped the limes all over Yosaku, Nami shoved the boys away. Pulling out a small pocket knife and cutting one of the fruits in half, squeezing the juice into the man's agape mouth.

Tani stared at the once sick man, fling himself upright and cheer as if he wasn't just dying not even a nanosecond ago. Happily dancing shoulder by shoulder with Johnny, who was relieved to see his comrade in good health. Tani gave a soft smile at the display, they were so happy in one anothers company.

The shuffling of feet scuttling towards her grabbed her attention. Luffy looked over her with a frown, his head held low.

"Sorry for hitting you," he apologised again, Tani waved her hand at him, a forgiving smile on her face.

"It's fine, you didn't know I was going to be there. It's my own stupid fault for jumping in the way," she laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood, which worked since Luffy's frown lifted into a wide grin.

Tani pulled herself up off the ground, she wobbled a bit thanks to the lingering pain. Luckily Luffy's shoulder was close enough for her to grab for stability.

"Come to think of it," Nami spoke aloud, a hand curled around her chin in thought. "This ship would need a cook if it wants any chance of surviving the Grand-Line," she pondered to nobody in particular. Johnny stopped his dancing and turned to face her.

"A cook you say? Bro Yosaku and I know a place you could go to recruit a cook," he chimed, Nami turned to face him, "There's a restaurant that floats around the east blue. I've heard that the chefs there are tough as nails," he finished, crossing his arms.

A restaurant on the sea? Now that's something you don't hear everyday. Then again, back home there weren't real pirates anymore. There would be no need for a sea based restaurant... Unless it was a publicity thing, than everyone would be all over that. Nami left with Johnny and Yosaku to start the trip to the floating restaurant.

Tani decided to go back to relaxing in the spot she claimed as her own. To her slight surprise, Luffy followed her. She plopped herself down onto the deck, legs hanging from between the railing as it had been before the arrival of johnny and Yosaku. Luffy followed closely and plopped right beside her, his legs swinging.

He looked at the left side of Tani, a worried frown returned to his face. Tani had forgiven him, but he still felt really bad for hurting his friend. She turned to him, a comforting smile still on her face. Tani snickered, her eyes returning to the sea.

"Where I live, the ocean is so far away. It takes a long time to get there." she spoke aloud. Luffy much like the night before, didn't look at her but she knew he was listening. "Sometimes... My mum and I would plan a trip to the beach during summer break. We would spend hours swimming in the crystal clear water, and chase crabs around the beach," she spoke fondly of her memories.

Closing her eyes in relaxation, she leaned back until her back laid on the ground. Hands behind her head as the sunshine warmed her skin. A wave of nostalgia from when she would relax on the sandy beach and take a nap, washed over her.

The thump of the straw hat captain's back laying on the deck to her left, drew her away from that nostalgia. She turned her head to look at him, he looked so at home. A happiness washed over Tani at the sight of Luffy, her first real friend. Seeing him so happy, filled her with an overwhelming feelin. One that she couldn't really describe.

Closing her eyes for the final time, the numb pain in her side, the lingering headache from the first day of her arrival, and the warm sunshine that blanketed her into a sense of comfort. All combined into the perfect recipe for an afternoon nap, which she happily fell into.

...

Luffy cupped his cheeks, leaning on his elbows, and looked at the peaceful face of Tani. She was quite the mystery girl. A mystery that he was excited to uncover.

"Oi! Luffy" Zoro called out to the boy in question, Luffy bounced to his feet and ran towards his first crew member with a jolly expression. "Nami says it'll take about half the day to get to the place, she also asked how Tani is holding up," the swordsman informed, Luffy looked back at the napping girl.

"She's tougher than she looks," Zoro commented, crossing his arms, leaning forward on the rails near the stairs. Luffy nodded in agreement, "Think she'll actually stay on the crew?" the swordsman asked, Luffy hummed at the question.

"Of course she will! She agreed," Luffy huffed, as if Zoro had asked the most stupid question imaginable. "She's nakama now," Luffy grinned. The swordsman smirked and turned away to find a spot to have a nap.

...

"Guys! Look I can see the ship, woah!" the shrill cheering of Luffy filled the ears of everyone on the ship. Tani snorted awake at the loud cheering, a loud yawn erupted from her. The rest of the crew plus the tag alongs looked on in awe at the floating restaurant. Tani stared at the ships surrounding the vessel, the main ship looked much like a pool floatie with a pirate flare. A light laugh filled with childish amazement bloomed within her, it felt like watching a Saturday morning cartoon.

"Hey! Who's the captain?" an annoyingly pompous voice called from far away. The crew turned their attention to a pink haired man with a brass knuckle in his hand. His boat was side by side with theirs. Usopp pointed at himself, declaring himself captain much to the annoyance of Luffy, who pushed the liar aside and informed the pink haired man that he was the captain. The man ignored Luffy and turned his attention the their tag along.

"Johnny and Yosaku? Did you guys become pirates? How unfortunate," the pink haired man stated at the two extras, both of which shouted at the man in denial. Johnny dropped a stack of papers on the ground that Tani hadn't seen him holding up until now. Nami walked over to help pick them up, her grasp on one of the papers seemed to linger longer, but nobody noticed.

"Ugh anyway, it doesn't really matter. This pirate ship is really ruining my mood," pink hair scoffed, flicking his wrist at the boat as if it was a sight for sore eyes. "Sink it!" he called to the many copy paste men in white uniforms. All of which saluted and ran into position.

"Sink it?!" Tani and Usopp panicked, Luffy and Zoro took on a battle stance. Zoro had his hands clasped around his sheathed swords, while Luffy tightened his hat and bore a fearless grin.

The uniformed men surrounded a canon, lit the fuse and aimed right for the mast.

Kabang!

The canon fired, the crew froze as the ball sailed towards the only means of movement for the ship.

Luffy jumped into action, his arms stretched out to create a net in a weird sorta way. The ball collided into his torso with a great force, so much so that Luffy lost grip of the railing his left hand was holding. Turning his body to face the restaurant... And rebounding the canon ball into the bright red roof of the restaurant. Everyone on the ship stared in horror. The pink haired guy having left the pirates to clean the mess he started.

Once the boat docked, Luffy made a B-line for the owner so he could apologise for the damages he had caused. Leaving the rest of the crew to do who knows what. Nami turned to the crew and beamed.

"Well... Why don't we eat?" she suggested, motioning to the entrance. Tani smiled as they all walked through the door's into the marvellous floor room. Tani worked as a dish cleaner at this local soul foods place in her town, sometimes they even asked her to wait tables. That place didn't even compare to this place, she'd never seen such a wonderful place like this. The owner must have poured heaps of love and time into this establishment and it showed.

"Tani?" Usopp clicked his fingers in front of her spaced out eyes. She snapped back to reality and followed her crew to the front so they could be seated. Zoro scoffed, his gaze landing on the pink haired jerk that tried to sink them only moments ago. Laughing and enjoying himself with his lady friend. Tani pat him on the back and shook her head, her wild locks of curly hair bobbed with her.

"He's not worth it man..." she commented, distaste in her eyes at the thought of that asswipe being let off the hook. But as mumma always said, "Karma will catch up with him," she stated, the green haired man looked confused but didn't press further questions.

A man in a chef's uniform sent the crew to a table, which confused the dark skinned girl.

"Where's all the waiting staff?" she pondered aloud, Nami turned her gaze around and observed the same.

"Best not to question it," Nami waved it off. Taking a seat at the table and looking through the menu, as did the others. Tani pulled herself up to grab some glasses and a jug of water for the table. When a commotion caught her attention.

"Stop mocking me!" the pink haired jackass shouted at the blonde man standing before his table. The blonde guy in Tani's opinion looked much more like a waiter than other men running around taking orders. Though his cigarette would most definitely have been a health code violation in any other establishment.

The pink haired guy raised his brass knuckled fist and brought it down on the table. The food went flying, as did the lady friend who tried to calm him down. The waiter crouched over the spilled soup.

"This soup took 3 days and nights to prepare... It was perfectly fine, you could have just taken the fly out..." he sounded pained having to say that. Tani inched closer. The pink haired guy continued to berate the man. Throwing insult after insult at the waiter. Tani felt herself vibrate with anger, what an asshole.

The blonde trembled in a visable rage, one of his legs lifting high into the air and slamming into the pink man's face, knocking him onto the floor. The patrons of the restaurant all gasped at the display. Tani clutched the six glasses she had stacked atop one another in her hand, the satisfaction of karma being a bitch formed a smug grin on her round face. She struggled to hold back the cheer that formed in her throat.

"Do you know who I am?!" the man sprawled on the ground growled, a hidden hint of panic underlined his words. "I'm lieutenant Fullbody of the Marines!" he pounded his fist into the ground. The blonde guy puffed a cloud of smoke.

"I don't care, you wasted food. We here at the Baratie don't take kindly to folks like you." he huffed. Tani had to hold back a snicker, wishing that she could have done this sorta thing to annoying and rude customers back home. This blonde was every waitress/ waiters dream!

A pair of cooks came out of the kitchen and made their way over to the blonde. The larger of the two punched the blonde and scolded him for his actions. The blonde jumped up and started yelling at the chef who hit him. Tani turned her attention back to her crew and the waters she was grabbing for them. Balancing the massive tower of glasses in one hand, and the huge jug of water in the other. She placed them all on the table, handing them out to her crew.

The door to the restaurant slammed open, the floor room fell silent as a single man crawled through the door.

"F-f-food... Please... Food," the raspy groans of the man flat on his face begged from the entrance of the restaurant. The blonde and his coworkers stopped bickering, the large man that hit the blonde walked over to the starved man and asked if he had any Berri, which he didn't...

The large chef promptly laughed in his face and kicked him out. Him and the second chef walked back into the kitchen. The blonde let his gaze rest on the door, he narrowed his curly brow in distaste and walked into the kitchen as well.

The crew ordered what they wanted to eat, Nami reluctant to spend any money on the others. Tani decided she would order something small and cheap, a fruit parfait. She was a sucker for fruits and sweets so she couldn't resist the temptation. Maybe Nami would lend her some berri.

The crew talked among themselves, talking about past adventures such as their encounter with a pirate captain named Kuro, who wanted to take the life of a rich girl named Kaya in order to have her money. Kaya is the one who gave the straw hats their ship. Usopp kept on talking about his many other adventures that all seemed to be tall tales in Tani's opinion, but exciting to listen to none the less.

"My oh my," a very flirty voice spoke up. Tani turned her attention to the very same blonde who had kicked Fullbody's ass not that long ago. He was looking between both Nami and herself, while balancing the many meals along his arms.

"What beauties we have here this fine afternoon," he complimented, placing the dishes down down before the crew. The colourful parfait being gently placed in front of Tani, her eyes wide with hunger and joy at the sweet treat. She turned to face the blonde who was hovering behind her,

"This looks amazing," she beamed, "could you please tell the chef who made it that it's the best I've ever seen," he looked at her with great pride.

"Why thank you for the compliment, such an honour from such a lovely woman," he cooed, a bright blush formed on her cheeks.

Compliments weren't really a thing that Tani would receive (excluding her mother). She grabbed the spoon and dug in, the flavour was even better than the presentation. Good God if they had to hire a chef could it please be this guy!

He flirted with Nami, who didn't seem to really notice or care. Instead trying to scam for a free meal, which the guy decided would be perfectly fine for the women. The men at the table groaned and complained at the blonde who death glared them, before turning back to complimenting Nami and Tani.

A pair of hands found the shoulders of Tani, causing her to squeak. She turned to find it was only Luffy staring at all the food they ordered without him. He complained, while grabbing the spoon from Tani's hand and shoving it into his mouth. The blonde swiftly kicked the captain, launching him into the ground. The crew stared at their captain, who recovered quickly and smiled wide.

"Oh hey! Guys this is Sanji, he's gonna be our chef!" Luffy declared, Tani clasped her hands together with joy. Had a God actually answered her prayers. Sanji slammed his leg into Luffy again.

"I am not joining your crew," he groaned. Turning to leave the table, not before biding Nami and Tani a loving farewell.

Luffy scanned the table, his grabby hands ready to take food from everyone's plates. Tani had yet to witness the beast that is Luffy when he's hungry, a beast often fought off by the collective efforts of the straw hat crew. Tani's food unfortunately was not spared, Luffy shoved the whole parfait into his mouth. The girl stared at him, then back at the glass that was now empty. A solemn expression on her face, though it was free for her, she would feel bad asking for another.

"Luffy! Get your own!" Nami shouted as he stretched his arms to grab at her plate, she swatted at his hands like a lion tamer whipping at the lions during a circus performance.

"Yeah Luffy!" Usopp complained, when Luffy grabbed some meat off his plate and consumed it.

"Oi chore boy!" came the angry shouts of one of the chefs with the greatest braided beard that Tani had ever witnessed. The guy looked like a Viking! And he had a peg leg!

"Quit harassing the customers and get back to work," the man grumbled. Tani looked at Luffy in question, only now noticing the apron around his waist.

"Chore boy? Why you working here?" Zoro questioned, Luffy grinned.

"I gotta work off the big hole I put in the roof," he turned back to the bearded man,

"He says it's for a whole year but I can't do that," he grinned. The man huffed.

"You broke it, you pay for it. That's a year's wages right there," the man crossed his arms with a grumpy and tired huff.

Tani thought to herself for a moment, she has experience in the field of hospitality. She coughed to grab the old chefs attention.

"How about I swap places with Luffy, I have experience as a waitress. Since you don't seem to have any wait staff," she suggested, the crew gawked at the girl. The older man looked at the girl with his intimidating gaze, she stood up from the table and looked back with determination. She didn't really have a place on the ships crew anyway. The man grumbled before waving a hand dismissively.

"Fine, you can swap with chore boy. Kid was more of a hassle than he was helpful," the man crossed his arms and motioned for the girl to follow him. Leaving her stunned friends behind, even Luffy seemed stumped on what the heck just happened. Tani swapped spots with him, meaning that he wasn't going to stay for a year.. But Tani was!

"Aight boys listen up!" Zeff shouted, the kitchen went quiet. "Chore boy has been replaced with this young lady, so you need anything cleaned or served just ask her." he announced, handing her an apron to tie around her waist, similar to Luffy's one.

She put it on, rolled up her jacket sleeves and got to work on the dishes, grabbing the wash cloths and scrubbed away.

The kitchen started up again after having a moment to witness the girl get straight to work, they hadn't had a girl working on the Baratie for quite a while. Sanji recognised the girl as the one who enjoyed his parfait, he frowned at the thought of her having to do such dirty work.

"Oi! Girly, can you run this to table 14!" Patty called out (who was one of the chefs from earlier) holding up three plates. Tani nodded and ran over. Collecting the plates and walking out the door, now where is table 14? She looked around the room but couldn't see any table numbers. She wanted to slap her forehead but she had plates of food to hold. Her best bet was to look for tables with three people or more.

Sanji looked out the window on the kitchen door to find the girl looking around confused. His heart ached at such a display, he pushed open the door and called for her attention, she sighed with relief,

"Hey Sanji, I have no idea how the table number system works, which one is 14?" she sheepishly laughed, Sanji felt his cheeks warm at the heavenly sound of her voice. He pointed at the table, and offered to take the plates, but she had already made her way towards the table. He looked at her with admiration, such a strong women, to take on the burden of that shitty chore boy.

"Sanji! Get your ass back in the kitchen!" Patty shouted, the blonde puffed another cloud of smoke, before entering the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

"Girly! Plates for table 16 and 24 are ready!" one of the chefs called out.

"on it!" Tani called out, rolling over to the plates and scooping them into her hands.

It had been four days since the Straw hats had boarded the Baratie. However they refused to leave without Tani on the ship, much to the girls protests. Tani only swapped with Luffy so that the Straw hats could make a run for it. Luffy refused to let her stay behind because she was Nakama, which is a term Tani had never heard before. She would have to ask about that one when her shift ended for the day.

The staff on the Baratie were quite the strange bunch, apparently the Baratie was notorious for the fact that the staff was willing to beat the ever loving daylights out of customers if they disrespected the food, ship or workers. It was something that Tani found great but scary at the same time, hell she had already seen some guy get his ass handed to him by Sanji on her first day.

Sanji had been a great help in getting her settled in, though he disapproved of her "selfless action" as he worded it, to swap with Luffy. Tani didn't want to argue with her only real friend on the Baratie.

He would spend his free time showing her the ropes, such as table numbers and preparing really simple dishes. Sanji himself was like an 11/10 on the chivalry scale, he would constantly pop up out of nowhere and offer to do (sometimes even take over) tasks that were given to her, even though he was one of the higher ranked chefs. Something called a sous chef? Which was meant to be pretty important.

Tani would protest but the man was as stubborn as a rock, but she appreciated how much he cared. He would treat her to many deserts after shifts or breaks (all of which were amazing!). Sanji was a god sent, even if he became over baring when interacting with women, he was always willing to help Tani out when the others would flat out ignore her.

It was the afternoon on day four, the day started out pretty normal. The Straw hats came in to have lunch, and greet Tani. Who had now begun severing customers via roller blade. She felt like one of those 60s diner girls with the retro clothes and skates, but hell if it wasn't a more efficient method of transport. Zeff even praised her skills at service, which was the highlight of her day.

"Tani, come back," Luffy complained, the top half of his body sprawled out on the top of table. Much to the annoyance of the crew, who all had to lift their plates.

"You should know that I can't do that Luffy," Tani responded, "After all, I'm repaying your debt," she ended. Placing a plate before Luffy, the captain stopped complaining and shoved the plate into his mouth. Tani snorted at the sight, before waving at the crew and skating back into the kitchen to continue working.

"How long until we leave?" Usopp questioned, the crew members glanced back at their captain, who had just spat out the plate. He looked at everyone with confusion, "Well? Are we going to stay much longer, or will we wait?" Usopp asked. Luffy looked hard at his crew,

"we aren't leaving without Tani and Sanji," he declared.

Nami rolled her eyes. She knew for a fact that the idiot would be too stubborn to leave without those two. Her patience was running dry, she couldn't be caught lollygagging when she had important business to attend to. The folded page of Arlongs wanted poster crumpled under the red heads tight and angered grip. Soon she might need to take some... Drastic measures.

The front entrance door burst open, the cries of a man's voice filled with panic and desperation, alerted the staff of a new arrival. Tani skated her way over to find the same man who had been starving only days ago. This time he held a man on his shoulder who looked to be twice his height and weight. Tani approached, but a hand was held in front of her. Sanji had stopped her, stepping forward to confront the new arrivals.

"Sanji, please... He's starving," the smaller of the two begged the blonde. The larger man slumped off the smaller, and bowed his head and begged.

"My fleet won't attack, I swear!" his voice hoarse and starved. Pity and guilt filled Tani. Patty and the other chefs on the other hand all scoffed at the display, well except for Sanji and Zeff. Tani balled her fists at the chefs and turned to them,

"Are you guys serious?! They're begging! Are you really going to let these guys die at your doorstep?" she yelled, the chefs reacted with surprise present at the unexpected volume of her voice. Patty narrowed his eyes at the girl and pointed at the large man who was still bowing.

"I would let the likes of Don Krieg rot, he's a danger to the entire East Blue!" he snapped back. Silence reigned over the room, whispers and murmurs of the name Don Krieg popped up here and there. However that name meant nothing to Tani, she had no idea who he was.

Tani went to clap back at him, but Sanji (who had apparently walked away without much notice) returned and placed a huge bowl of what looked like fried rice in front of Don Krieg. The man shoveled the contents of that bowl into his mouth with his bare hands. It was a pretty gross but desperate display. Tani scooted over to Sanji with a smile, he smiled back.

This small moment of silent appreciation was ruined, when a devious grin crawled onto Krieg's face. His movements were too fast, his fist collided into Sanji's stomach. Sending him flying back into Tani, who tumbled over under the blondes weight. Panic ensued, customers fled from the restaurant in a flurry. Leaving only the chefs and Straw hats behind. Krieg stood strong and menacingly before them.

"I need food for my starving crew. There's roughly 100 men on that vessel, all are on the verge of starvation," Krieg demanded. Sanji sat up, looking down at the dazed Tani he had unintentionally collided with. Sanji with a groan pulled himself and Tani off the ground. The Straw hats crowded behind the pair, taking up battle ready stances.

Tani felt like a deer in the headlights, this was a big guy. Like he was huge! How the hell would she be able to help take this guy on?! She had no real combat skills, but she just knew she needed to help out if he decided to fight. Zeff grunted, walking towards the kitchen.

"We'll serve anyone who needs to be fed," and disappeared behind the doors.

The other chefs didn't move from their spots, keeping an eye on Krieg. A smug grin on his face as he eyed up the place.

"This boat would make a fine replacement for my own," he observed, a lump formed in Tani's throat. She knew what this meant.

"You can't have this ship!" she called out, aggressive in her tone. Her body was acting on its own, ignoring the screaming in her mind telling her to shut up and let the real fighters deal with it. Yet her body and mouth refused, "This ship... It belongs to these hard working men, you can't have it!" she yelled.

The smug look on Krieg's face dropped, an annoyed tsk passed through his teeth. He stepped forward his hand held high. A large shadow covered the frozen girl, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. She held her arms up to defend her face, clenching her eyes closed to await the blow that would probably snap her in half.

"Sanji!" cried a few voices, others gasped, all flinched as the blonde flung the frozen girl out of the way and was met with yet another devastatingly hard blow to his body. No regrets in his mind, except for maybe how hard he pushed Tani away. Tani had to collect her bearings before rushing to Sanji's side, he laid on the floor with blood dribbling from his mouth and nose, she pulled him onto her lap for comfort.

Then out of absolutely nowhere! Patty pulled out a huge bazooka looking gun, and fired it straight into Don Krieg. You know, because logic just doesn't exist in the world of rubber pirates and ocean restaurants.

Smoke filled the room, as did the hearty laugh of Patty. Who thought he had taken out the massive beast of a man. Note the word thought. The dust cleared, revealing the glimmering golden armour that covered the man. His face smug as he tapped his fist against it.

"Is that really all you'vr got? This will be easier than I thought," he remarked smuggly. The other chefs readied to attack. When-

SLAM!

Everyone's attention was brought to the large sack of food that had been thrown to the ground inbetween Krieg and the chefs. Zeff dusted his hands off and spoke up.

"There's enough to feed everyone. Now get off my ship," he demanded with authority. Tani watched him in awe, Sanji smiled with his eyes closed as he relaxed into the comfort of Tani's lap. Might as well enjoy the calm before the storm.

"Once my army has recovered, I will take over this ship," Krieg declared, grabbing the huge sack of food and hauling it out of the Baratie. The smaller guy lingered for a moment, sadness in his eyes as he looked at Sanji, before returning to Krieg's side.

Tani clenched her fists, she was livid! She hated this asshole who just waltzed into the place like he owned it, attacking the man who saved his life, and now he was planning a full take over! She felt so powerless, Krieg had this aura of pure power that scared the ever loving shit out of her.

Zeff brought everyones attention to himself, telling everyone to prepare for battle. Sanji had a smirk on his face, lifting himself off of Tani and standing before Zeff.

"Wouldn't it be a good idea to raise the battle fins? Would hate to trash the place now wouldn't we," he smuggly suggested, lighting a new cigarette and breathing out the smoke. Zeff grunted, instructing the chefs to prepare for battle and to raise the fins.

"Hey old guy," Luffy called from his spot on the stairs railing, which he had been perched upon the whole time. Zeff turned to face him, "How about I kick this guy's ass, and in return we get Tani back," Luffy suggested. A wide grin on his face.

Tani looked at him in disbelief. How in the name of all that is holy. Could Luffy (a pretty scrawny kid) take down Don Krieg! (a man about twice Luffy's height, covered in golden armour and leading an army of at least 100 men). Zeff smirked and grunted in agreement to Luffy, who smiled back.

"Luffy, you idiot! You'll die if you take that guy on!" Tani cried out, but Luffy was already stretching his limbs. Tani turned to her crew, as if they would be able to stop him. Yet they were doing their own things, Zoro stretched as well. Usopp put on a brave face (but his shaking legs gave away his fears) and Nami was ready to just leave. Johnny and Yosaku were freaking out about Don Krieg and his bounty? Honestly this world was still way too confusing for her tastes.

Sanji placed a hand on the confused girls shoulder, she looked up and smiled at the comforting gesture. A look of uncertainty in her eyes, fearing for her friends safety. Yet the small voice in the back of her mind assured her that everything would be perfectly fine. That the outcome would be in favour of her companions. She turned her body towards Luffy, who gave her a thumbs up. She just knew that everything would be ok.

...

Moments had passed, the occupants of the Baratie were lined up upon the battle fin. All ready to defend the place they called home. Tani found herself among them, her body telling her that she could fight. Now tightly clasped in her hands were two yo-yo's and her roller blades still attached to her feet.

The idea that she was fighting with these kids toys felt almost stupid to her... But that little voice in her head told her that this was the right thing to do. It also doesn't help that this world appears to be just as insane so surely the idea will work.

The male straw hats were ready to fight (Nami had left to "Watch the ship" as she said) Johnny and Yosaku had followed her. Sanji stood beside Tani, a worried look in his eyes.

"Are you sure you want to fight?" he questioned the nervous girl. She nodded to confirm that she was ready to help her friends, he blew out a puff of smoke. "Don't worry, I'll protect you," he promised, she smiled nervously with a silent thank you.

Her attention turning back to the loud battle cry of the Don Krieg army, who now fully feed were charging towards the Baratie. A loud battle cry sounded from the chefs and straw hats as they charged forward with one objective in mind.

Protect the Baratie

The clanking of Tani's skates sliding across the smooth wooden deck of the battle fin, were masked by the loud grunts and clashing of weapons from those around her.

She twirled her yo-yo's, flowing with an almost dancer like rhythm to the battle. Taking out the enemy with way too much ease for her liking. This felt way too easy and that freaked her out. She felt like she wasn't in control of her body. It moved as if it had been fighting like this for years. She wasn't complaining, since it meant she wasn't a burden on her peers.

Her attention would every so often flick towards her comrades. Usopp stayed far from the battle, but his shots were all so precise that he still did a lot of considerable damage. Flames consumed his enemies before they knew what hit them.

Zoro was slicing and dicing his way through the enemy, with all three swords! A style that she had never seen before. One in each hand, while the third was placed in his mouth. He moved with such speed and grace that he put the masters back home to shame.

Sanji was probably one of the coolest fighters to watch, he didn't use his hands. Utilising his extremely long legs for combat, his movements were evasive and calculated. He kept himself close to her. Taking out anyone that she wasn't paying attention to, protecting her as he had promised.

Lastly there was Luffy. His rubber like body made him so bouncy and difficult to hit. Heck she saw him take bullets directly, and deflect them back! And his rubber arms made for some great weapons. He was punting men into the water left and right! It was seriously like she was in a Saturday morning cartoon. All that was missing was a giant mecha robot and magical girl transformations.

The battle was at a stalemate, Krieg's crew made no progress towards the Baratie but the chef's hadn't pushed back enough. Tani held her ground way better than she thought she would, actually taking out quite a few goons. Zipping and weaving to avoid attacks while dishing out her own quick blows from the spinning yo-yo's in their faces. Her breath was a little shaky from all the movement and intensity of the battle.

She also didn't miss the passing glances from Sanji, who would always find himself following her around on the battle field. Maybe it was the safety net of knowing Sanji would be there to catch her if she fell.

SLASH! BANG!

An intense gust of wind blew through the air, many of the chefs and Krieg's crew were swept off their feet, flying into the water. Tani felt herself lifting from the ground, her voice lost in the many who cried within the winds howls. A tight grip clasped around her wrist, she looked through blurry eyes to find Luffy had caught her before she was swept away into the wild ocean waves. Relief in his eyes.

Everyone turned their gaze to the now sliced up remains of Don Krieg's already busted up ship. Krieg was frozen in fear.

"He...He followed us!?" He cried. Everyone stared at the shadowy figure floating in the sea, unless they were Usopp.

"The Going Merry's going to sink!" Usopp called out, running towards where the ship was docked in the hopes of stopping it from being taken over by the wild waves, only the ship had already begun sailing away.

"Nami must have moved away!" Tani called out, a smile on her face at the prospect of the ship and Nami being safe. Luffy retracted his stretched arm, pulling Tani back to the ground. She thanked him with a nod, which he returned. Everyone's attention had turned to the single figure floating through all the chaos.

Krieg and his men were frozen in fear, while everyone else was stunned at the sheer damage this one guy did. Like seriously, he cut an entire boat in half! Tani had never seen anything like this. Not a single human being would ever be able to do even 10% of the damage this guy had just done in the span of 5 seconds... Than again she was in a world where captain's could stretch their limbs like rubber bands and restaurants floated on the sea.

The battlefield was almost cleared out of people. Only the straw hats, Sanji and two people from the Krieg pirates stood on the battle wings. Everyone else had been blown into the water. Zoro had a serious look in his eyes, his grip on his three swords tightened.

"Hawkeye Mihawk..." he whispered to himself, though he was loud enough for the straw hats to catch on. Tani wondered how he knew who this guy was... Not that she would know anyone famous in the world now would she? So she kept to herself.

Zoro made a b-line for this Mihawk guy, Usopp split off to pursue the ship (he said it was to help Nami, but his shaking legs proved otherwise). Luffy, Sanji and Tani prepared to take on the large man that had a huge pearl on his head. Well really it was only Tani taking him on, since Sanji was fighting Gin, the guy who Tani learned was the crews first mate.

Luffy had run off to pursue Krieg himself. He kept being launched backwards by the man and his many fancy weapons. Luffy was persistent though, and would eventually wear the larger captain out... Tani hoped.

Tani herself twirled her yo-yo's around, ready to charge at the pearl guy who wasn't even batting an eye at her.

"hohoo, they left the little zippy one for me? This will be easier than I thought," Pearl mocked. Tani glared. She can do this, the last couple of guys were easy as pie to knock out. This will be just fine.

Roughly calculating the man's height and weight in comparison to hers. She hoped she had enough speed and agility to dodge his heavy hit. This guy was the second in command after all.

"I've never drawn a single drop of blood before," he gloated. Breaking Tani from her line of thought, shit where was she? Weight? No that was earlier... What about-

She didn't have time to recall before the guy charged in, to body slam her into the ground. Luckily her skates were faster. She skidded out of the way, the shock waves from the impact sent her flying. She barely had time to react before he rushed her again, fear and adrenaline coursed through her veins. Fight or flight kicked into high gear, her lungs were on fire as she slipped and glided away from the man's insane attacks. She had completely forgotten to fight back, her flight taking control of her fight instinct.

She shakily whipped her yo-yo's towards him, but they bounced off his armour. She wasn't aiming right, hands shaking and concentration a mix of "run away!" and "fight back!"

"Tani!" she heard someone call out, she didn't know who because the blood rushing to her head was making all noises sound muffled. Tears streamed down her cheeks, she didn't know what to do.

Her yo-yo bounced off Pearl's chest armour.

Her legs wobbled and shook from the intense movement, she felt like she was going to die. She didn't want to die!

The man slammed a fist into the ground right in front of her. She screamed, speeding forward so hard her legs felt like buckling.

"Tani!" the voice repeated, only this time she felt hands grip at her shoulders. She whipped around to find Luffy flying behind her, like some weird human kite. He had an intense look in his eye, but Tani had no time to pay attention as she continued to zip around the arena. Avoiding attacks while Luffy flew behind her.

"Gum gum battle axe!"

Luffy called out an attack, the weight on Tani shifted. Luckily she recovered from the imbalance. Luffy kicked his leg out and slammed it into the Pearl guys stupid head! Tani felt her heart beat racing. A sense of relief and guilt took over. Luffy had taken out Pearl when he should have been focusing on Don Krieg. He went out of his way to save her sorry ass, because she was too overwhelmed by the guy... How lame.

"bl-bloo-od? I'm bleeding? I'm bleeding!" Pearl screamed. Oh so he wasn't knocked out.

Pearl had begun having a mental breakdown over the sight of a nose bleed. A nose bleed! Imagine this guy accidently scrapping his knee!

The dude was setting everything within a 3ft radius on fire while wailing like a baby. The scene was comical, which made Tani feel a little better. Even if she was skidding across the now burning deck of the Baratie.

"I'm bleeding! I'm bleeding!" Pearl roared in pain, charging towards Luffy. Tani's body moved on its own, she sped towards Luffy who would have been hit, had she not hooked her arm around his waist and jerked him out of the way. Pearl slammed into the ground, leaving a hole in the deck where Luffy would have become a human pancake.

Tani kept her arm hooked around Luffy as she sped away from the fiery attacks of the crybaby Pearl. Luffy was surprisingly light which made movement easy, and Tani thankful.

After a few moments of all out evasion. Luffy decided to take action, his hands grabbed at Tani's. The girl tensed a little but turned her attention to the captain with question. He nodded, as if she knew exactly what to do. Holding his hands meant she'd need wouldn't have a good enough hold on him and would literally have to spin around to keep him-

Oh! Oh that sounds like something so comical that it would actually work in a universe like this one.

She released Luffy from under her arm, twisting herself to face him. Hands in hands, she spun around on the spot, the rubber man's arms stretched from the speed. He spun around like a hammer throw ball.

Tani bent her legs lower to the ground, spinning faster and faster. Had she not done this before, she would have been sick. Her grip was tight, waiting for just the right moment. After a couple more spins had built up momentum, Luffy let go of her hands, which she responded with by twisting around hard and releasing.

"Quit your whining!" Tani called out to Pearl. Having launched Luffy right into said crybaby, knocking Pearl into the water with a satisfying splash! Luffy bounced back onto the burning deck with a thunk. Turning to Tani with a grin, she held a thumbs up. Her heart was pounding against her chest, she felt so exhausted that she could have passed out. However now isn't the time for that, what with the whole deck being on fire and the main boss still gallivanting around like he owns the place.

Tani wobbled on her legs, attempting to focus on what needs to be done and how to do it. Sanji was still fighting with Gin, Luffy was still being knocked back by Don Krieg, Zoro was having a hard time with that Mihawk guy and Tani had no idea where Usopp and Nami have disappeared to, though Merry was pretty far away at this point.

Maybe she should focus on the fires. Does sea water work? It's water sure but it's also got salt in it so that could be flammable? Was it? Who knows.

Tani decided to grab one of the big soup pots that she'd cleaned that day to use as a make shift bucket. Zeff can yell at her later.

She made her way towards the opening of the restaurant, only to have the back of her collar caught by a strong grip. She turned wide eyed to stare at Gin.

"Leave her out of this!" Sanji roared. Zeff who was sitting in the doorway giving no damns about the situation just huffed at Sanji.

"Pipe down Eggplant," Zeff grunted. Gin turned his attention to the old owner, he pulled a gun from his back pocket and held it at the Chef's head. Sanji was panicking on the inside, though his outer shell showed his suave nonchalance.

"Now, I don't wanna hurt anybody. Just hand over the ship peacefully and nobody has to die," Gin pleaded. Zeff huffed the closest noise he had to a laugh. Sanji simply kicked the toe of his shoe on the burning deck.

"Like we'd let you take our dream away," Sanji chuckled without humour. "Now drop the old man and our darling Tani now," the blonde said with laced venom.

Tani could easily slip out of her shirt right now, since Gin was only holding onto the collar of the shirt. It does mean she would be running around in nothing but a bra and shorts, but giving Sanji one less person to focus on is far more important than her being a prude.

She waited until Gin was focused on talking with Sanji about "There being another way," before setting her plan in motion-

"ZORO!"

everyone froze in place. The sound of Luffy screaming bloody murder sent chills down everyone's spines. The smell of blood was thick in the air.

Luffy was flying to the broken planks that was Zoro and Mihawks battlefield. The captain was pissed off, and ready to destroy anyone in his path.

"Zoro bro?!" Johnny and Yosaku's voices could be heard. What were they doing here without Merry? Usopp was with them on his small boat, freaked out about not only Zoro but something else.

Tani took this moment to refocus on the task at hand, with everyone distracted, Gin had let his grip loosen on her shirt. Tani twittered herself out of the hold, and she got to keep her modesty! A win-win situation in her books.

She almost forgot the gun was there, but didn't because Gin had turned the barrel to face her. Tani held her hands up in surrender.

"Gin! What's the hold up?" Krieg called from his position on the other side of the broken boat he used to call his own. "shoot the girl," he commanded.

Gin looked conflicted, a moment's hesitation that would soon sign his death warrant.

"I-Th- They haven't done anything wrong," he called to his captain. Krieg narrowed his eyes, "They fed us without hesitation, defended us when the rest of the crew was against them... I can't follow this order,"

Don Krieg was silent, his face obscured by the glimmering of his armour. He slowly moved his arm up, checking it over before turning to face the Baratie.

"Those who question my authority, don't deserve to live." Krieg said with absolute certainty. Lifting his arm up to reveal a gun of sorts, it looked like a small cannon. Gin froze in panic.

"No you can't!" he freaked out. Quickly, those on Krieg's crew started to pull masks from their person. Putting them on their faces with snickers.

Poison gas?

Luffy caught onto this fast, because he bolted over to the small group of his friends, ripping the masks off of two randoms and shoving them onto Tani and Sanji.

"Luffy! You don't have one," Tani panicked. Grabbing at the one on her face to shove onto his. Sanji was doing the same for his mask and Zeff.

The poison gas was fired. Tani ripped the mask off and shoved it into Luffy's face before throwing herself into the ocean to avoid the toxic fumes.

Tani held her breath for as long as possible, she didn't know what kind of poison was in that canister but she didn't want to risk surfacing too soon and poisoning herself.

An arm hooked around her and dragged her back to the surface. Tani gasped and sputtered, she wrapped her arms around the person that grabbed her.

It was Patty.

"That was real stupid of ya girly," the larger man almost scolded. Tani just coughed up a bit of water that found its way into her mouth.

"I mean," she coughed. "It worked right? I didn't die," she grinned sheepishly. Patty shook his head and swam her back to the deck. This time Luffy was missing and Sanji was crouched over a downed Gin.

There were two masks on the ground, and one being shoved into Gin's face. Sanji was muttering about filtering the air from Gin... Didn't Gin have a mask? Did his not work.

Tani jogged over, dropping to the deck beside Sanji. She was finding it hard to breath, probably the remnants of the poison... Or she was tired... Maybe that one... What's in this stuff?

Her eyes drooped as she felt her worn out body drop to the ground. She was knocked out before she hit the deck.

...

Tani groaned, her entire body ached and her limbs felt stiff. It was as if she had just played all out dodge ball against a team of fully trained athletes!

"Hey, don't move too much," a muffled voice demanded. Tani ignored it, trying to sit up... Bad idea, as the blood all rushed from her head. Making her dizzy and nauseous. Hands pushed her back down, which she fought against, swatting the hands away. She finally cracked her eyes open to find Luffy looming beside her. His face shifting from concerned to relieved.

"...Did we win?" Tani asked with a hoarse voice, Luffy's eyes sparkled. He explained everything after Gin was poisoned.

It was because of that poison gas move, that Luffy finally had it with Krieg and rushed him. He pointed out all the bandages along his arms and hands. Krieg had sent a whole bunch of pointed bullets at Luffy which he brushed off like they were nothing. He even punched through a spiked cloak shield, just so he could hit Krieg. Which explained the bandages on his hands.

The part that surprised Tani the most was the electric spear that Luffy had taken direct hits from like... He said 5 times? Well even if it was more or less, Tani was impressed. Honestly it felt like nothing could kill him. Luffy laughed when he described the look on Krieg's face when the spear shattered.

Luffy ended the story explaining how Krieg had captured him in a steel net. Which lead to Krieg's own demise, but had left Luffy unable to escape the ocean. Luckily! Sanji had dived in after him and rescued him from drowning. Thus concluding the battle of the Baratie.

"So now we can leave!" Luffy cheered, "But first, we're gonna eat to celebrate winning!" he declared. Tani sat up from her spot in one of the beds that the chefs would sleep in. Only this one looked much nicer, and judging by the decor of the room. Her assumptions lead her to believe that this was Sanji's room.

Luffy looked like he was ready to eat the floor, so Tani sped up her movements. Her body disagreed with the speed, so she toppled over. Being caught by Luffy before she smacked into the ground. She felt bothered by this. In the week or so that she had been in this world, Luffy would always be there to pick her up or save her from danger. Something that everyone else seemed to be able to do by themselves with ease.

She huffed at herself, and pushed off of Luffy. Wobbling to stand on her own, but proceeded to walk out the room and search for the dining room. She failed to notice the confused look on Luffy's face at the odd behaviour.

When the pair arrived, they found everyone dining together rather happily. Gloating about their victory over the Krieg army. Tani wandered the tables of food and found one dish with a sticky note on it addressing her (and telling everyone to back off). It was a fruit parfait, similar to the one she had had on her first day. It had Sanji written all over it. She grabbed it and looked around the room to find the blonde chef.

"Who made the soup today?" Patty asked aloud, Sanji called out. Proud of his work, only to get berated by the other chefs. All of them insulted him and his cooking. Which rightfully pissed him off, and he stormed off.

"What the hell, you guys are such jerks!" Tani yelled at them, charging out the room to find Sanji. The blonde was leaning over the railing, his body was tense and his fists were clenched. Tani slowly approached.

"Don't listen to them," she said gently, he whipped his head around to find her standing beside him, the parfait still cupped in her hands. "In all honesty, I think you're probably the best chef here." she complimented. His lips lifted slightly, eyes dazzling in appreciation.

He breathed out, wisps of smoke danced through the air. His thoughts on how much he would love to explore the Grandline with the likes of Tani. Maybe even...

"Have you ever heard of the All Blue?" his eyes glowed when asking, Tani shook her head. Sanji began explaining his dream to the girl, who listened to every detail of his goal to one day find this legendary place. The way he spoke of it... It was mesmerising!

"You should join the crew then, we need a cook. We're going to travel the Grand line at some point so why not join us?" Tani suggested, in all honesty. She really just wanted him to join because he was one of the nicest people she had ever met. Plus he made really good parfaits.

Laughter could be heard from the dining hall. Tani gave a snicker.

"Hey, why don't we go tell all those jerks to shut up," Tani suggested, hooking her arm around one of his. Dragging him over to the door. Just as they went to open the door, they heard the chefs and Luffy talking among themselves.

"The soup is really good though, I don't see the problem," Luffy stated, Sanji tensed up again. They were talking about him.

"We know... It's probably the best soup we've ever had," the chefs all muttered and complimented to themselves.

"We just needed to find a way to piss him off enough so he'll leave." Patty stated. Another chef called him out on his poor acting skills. Leading to everyone bursting into laughter and jokes.

Surprise was present on Sanji's face, why would they want him to leave? Did they hate him that much?

"Luffy, please take him." Zeff asked, both Tani and Sanji looked at each other in confusion. "He's too stubborn to leave, even though he clearly wants to. Dumb brat thinks he owes me."

"I can't," Luffy stated bluntly, "If he doesn't want to leave, then I can't force him. He's gotta decide for himself." he concluded, then shovelled squid into his mouth.

Sanji had had enough, he kicked open the door. Tani stood back and watched as he argued with the crew, and they argued back. She leaned against the door frame and continued eating what wouldn't be her last Sanji made parfait.

Yosaku had informed Luffy and the others during the Zoro getting stabbed saga of the battle, of Nami's betrayal. She had stolen the ship and sailed away to pursue some guy by the name of Arlong. So they needed to move fast or they might lose her. Zoro, Usopp and Johnny were already hot on her trail. So Luffy and Tani just needed to come as backup.

The small group was waiting by the boat they'd been given, for Sanji to arrive with his belongings. The chefs of the ship all gathered around with tough faces to mask their sadness at the departure of someone dear to them.

Sanji emerged from the entrance with a small suitcase in hand. He walked down the path creates by his peers, trying to keep his face as neutral as possible.

"Take care Eggplant," Zeff called from the balcony.

That opened the floodgates for everyone.

Sanji turned around to face them all. He dropped to his knees and bowed with his whole body. Screaming at Zeff and the others.

"Thank you for everything you Assholes, I'll never forget you all!" Sanji cried to the ground. Everyone else took that as their cue to start crying as well. Everyone was a sobbing mess, sobbing and blubbering about how much they will miss Sanji.

The Straw hat chef entered the boat. Luffy gave a whoop of cheer and off the boat went. Sanji didn't stop staring at the Baratie until it left his field of view.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sanji! Make me food!" Luffy complained, lazying around on the small boat. He couldn't bother Tani since she was helping Yosaku with sailing the boat. She said something about 'making herself useful' which Luffy thought was dumb because she's already useful, but he left it.

Tani listened to what Yosaku said when explaining how to properly steer a boat. It was pretty similar to a car now that she thought about it. Except speed relied on the wind which kinda sucked. She also had no idea how the sails were meant to be set up, but those were a lesson for another day.

"Lunch!" Sanji called out, Yosaku dashed out the cabin. Tani didn't feel comfortable leaving the steering unattended. Even if it was for a quick break. She kept her hands firmly on the steering pole (it wasn't a wheel which surprised her) and her gaze on the rolling ocean waves.

Sanji watched the door, waiting for Tani to join them. Yosaku and Luffy had already begun stuffing their faces at break neck speeds. He had to hide the special dish he'd made for Tani, but he knew Luffy would find it sooner or later.

"Hey, where's Tani?" Luffy said with his cheeks stuffed full of meat. His eyes darted around the place but he couldn't find his capped nakama anywhere. Yosaku perked up and pointed at the cabin which housed the steering pole.

"I'll bring her something to eat," Sanji stated, standing from his seat and pulling the tray of food he had hidden for her from under the table. Luffy looked hungrily at the tray, but a death glare from Sanji put him in his place. The blonde waltzed towards the cabin where Tani remained focused.

Luffy hummed to himself in thought. Yosaku side eyed him but continued to eat. He'd only known Tani for about a week, but she was already acting strange. He focused on the cabin door, hopeful that Sanji may be able to cheer her up.

"Tani my darling! I've brought you something to eat, I poured my heart and soul into it for your enjoyment," Sanji cooed, twirling around with the tray balanced perfectly in his hand. Tani turned her head towards him and smiled softly.

"Thanks, mind taking over the steering for a moment?" she asked, eyeing the really, really good looking food. Sanji nodded and stood where Tani once stood. Tani sighed with relief when she sat down and ate. Had she ever mentioned that Sanji is the greatest cook she had ever encountered? Because honestly everything he made tasted like it was touched by the hands of angels!

"You do know that its a pretty calm day today, we can just leave the steering." Sanji informed, Tani swallowed her mouthful of food.

"Oh... I know pretty much nothing about sailing, it's my first time actually," she laughed at herself. "Back home I don't live anywhere near the sea," Tani spoke with a hint of homesickness.

"If you don't live near the sea, then how did Luffy recruit you? If you don't mind me asking," Sanji questioned curiously.

"Woke up randomly from a nap in the middle of the ships deck. Tried to make a run for it because I thought I'd been kidnapped." she recounted, laughing slightly at the next part of her story, "Luffy tried to stop me from jumping off the ship, but I yanked on his arm and he flew into the ocean with me. Turns out he can't swim so I had to save him," she snickered.

Sanji remained quiet, listening to her speak so fondly of her interesting story. It still confused him how she magically arrived on the ship. Yet he didn't really care if he got an answer. Just having Tani happy made him happy.

"Sanji! Tani!" Luffy shouted from outside, the two turned towards his concerned cry. The boat rocked about, the waves shaking the occupants around like rag dolls. Sanji grabbed Tani to stop her from falling over.

Together they made their way outside, to be met with the large face of a... Fish? Cow? Sea cow? Whatever it was! It was a large cow fish that looked like it wanted to eat the boat.

"What the hell is that?" Tani shouted at her rather excited looking captain. The sea cow roared, shaking the boat viciously. Luffy launched his fist into the creatures face, sending it flying backwards. Water splashed all over the boats occupants, much to the displeasure of Tani. Who twisted the water out of her long hair.

"Now now Luffy," Sanji sighed, pushing the captain out of the way. Sanji held out a plate of cooked meat, "Can't you see that the guy just wants a meal," he explained.

The cow had swum back up and eyed the meal in Sanji's hand. A sparkle shined through the creatures eyes, it's massive maw opened. Tani went pale, the things mouth was going to take out the whole boat!

Like a flash, Sanji kicked the jaw of the cow sending it flying further away than Luffy's punch did.

"What?! Why could you hit it but not me?" Luffy complained to the cook. Sanji blew out a cloud of smoke.

"Moron, the thing would've eaten us too," he stated nonchalantly, "Now, can you guys grab some ropes? We could use it to take us to Arlong Park faster," Tani perked up.

"I saw some in the cabin, be right back," she said excitedly. Running into the cabin to find that rope. Who in their right mind would think to use a giant sea monster as a method of transport? Apparently these lunatics, but god did it sound awesome! The girl was bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement.

"Found the rope yet?" Luffy's voice asked into the cabin. Tani lifted her head up to face the new arrival.

"Not yet, I know its here somewhere though," she hummed, Luffy moved to the opposite side of the room and started looking as well.

The pair fell silent in their search for the rope. The sound of Sanji kicking the sea cow into submission being a strange background sound, that kinda drowned out the silence.

"Got it!" Tani cheered, pulling the long rope out of a box near the steering pole. Luffy grabbed it from her and walked out the door calling for Sanji. Tani followed behind and watched as the two saddled the monster to the front of the tiny boat. Commanding it to swim towards Arlong Park. Which it did at a breakneck speed!

"Since you don't need to worry about steering anymore," Luffy started, looking towards Tani, "You can show me some more tricks!" he cheered. Tani laughed lightly.

"Sorry Luffy, I'm still really tired from the Baratie fight," she apologised, Luffy pouted but understood.

"Why not take a nap, we won't be at Arlong Park for a while," Yosaku suggested. Tani thought about it. Maybe it was a good idea to rest up so she wasn't a hindrance like she was during the Baratie. Yet she felt like she had already slept way more than Luffy or Sanji, and both of them were perfectly fine.

"I slept a bunch on the Baratie," she halfheartedly laughed, "I don't need anymore sleep," she decided, ruining it all with a large yawn. The boys gave her a look of disapproval. She crossed her arms like a defiant child.

"Sleep Tani, you need it," Sanji told her, his eyes glittered when a thought crossed his mind. "If you want you can use me as a pillow," he cooed. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not sleeping," she pouted, getting up and walking into the cabin to get away from their concerned gazes. She already felt like she wasn't good enough, sleep would just make her feel worse.

Tani heard them murmuring outside the door, but none of them entered the room. Which she was grateful for. Finding a crate, she sat down and opened her bag to find something to make her feel better. She hadn't quite found the time to really examine what she had brought with her into this world.

Pulling out her yo-yo's, windbreaker, wallet and her empty lunch box. She wasn't surprised to find a notebook and pencil case. What was surprising was the Walkman with headphones she had gotten as a gift from her mum on her 15th birthday. She didn't expect to find that in there, but it was a pleasant surprise none the less.

Another surprise was a camera she didn't know she had... She had never owned a camera in her life, where did this one come from? There was a note attached to it, but it was pretty vague.

"You'll know what to do with this?" Tani read aloud with confusion, she folded the paper and shoved it into her bag. Her fingers brushed against a small metal ball, her fingers delicately picked it up to find the same bell she had found the day she fell asleep and woke up in this world. She shook it, but it made no noise.

Confused but not really in the right mind space to figure it out. Tani put everything but the Walkman back into her bag. Placing the headphones on her ears, pressing play and relaxing to the sound of her custom cassette tape. She remembered how excited she was, going through all the songs she wanted with her mum.

She smiled at the fond memories of her mother. The women was one strong cookie, a real role model for all people and a genuine gem of a person. Tani felt her stomach tie into knots. That relaxing feeling faded away as the dread of what her mum was going through right now filled her mind.

Was she crying right now? Calling the police? Did she think Tani ran away? Were a few of the questions that ran through the worried girls mind. Tears threatened to dribble down her cheeks, but she held them back. She couldn't be weak... Not in this world where literally anything can and will kill you. Her grip around the Walkman tightened with determination. She needed to get home... Just for her mother.

She sat in the room on the brink of tears for a while, nobody walked into the cabin. A relief on Tani's mind since she didn't want to be caught crying (even if she wasn't actually crying). That is until she felt like the boat was flying through the air...

"I don't know how to land it!" Luffy shouted from outside, Tani was freaking out as she flew into the air. Dropping her headphones around her neck to pay attention to what the hell was happening. Her body smacked into the roof and back onto the ground repeatedly.

"Well do something!" Sanji shouted back at Luffy. Tani turned to look out the window of the cabin and saw that they were indeed flying through the air. How? She had no idea and honestly didn't want to know. She just wanted to stay alive.

"Hang on to something!" Sanji called out to everyone. She grabbed onto the steering pole and held on for dear life. When the impact of the boat hitting the ground! Not the ocean but the dirt ground! The small boat crashed, Tani felt like she was going to die for like the millionth time just today! Her screaming filled the room while she closed her eyes in the hopes that this was all maybe just a dream... But the bruises on her body to proved that this was all very very real.

The ship came to a halt, everything stopped moving. Tani didn't let go of the pole until Sanji and Luffy ran into the room with panicked expressions. Luffy laughed when he saw that she was alright, proclaiming that the whole experience was fun. Sanji on the other hand was very concerned about Tani, he ran to her side and holding her in his arms like a fragile flower.

"Get off," she stated flatly, a hand pushed against his face to stop him from smothering her. "So what the hell just happened?" she shouted, Luffy stopped laughing and told her how the sea cow halted and launched them through the air. So it was just as crazy as everything in this world... Great.

"Well let's go look around!" Luffy cheered, walking out of the ruined cabin, into the lush forested area. The crew walked for less than 20 minutes before they ran into a lost looking Zoro.

"When did you guys get here?" Zoro asked in confusion, Luffy explained the situation. Tani turned her gaze to the bandages wrapped around the swordman's entire torso. He should be resting right now! Yet here he is looking as well as ever. Tani felt more knots in her stomach. Why did she need to be paired with some of the most powerful people (hopefully) in the world?!

"Oh wait. We need to hurry! Usopp's been captured by Arlong," Zoro stated after Luffy finished recounting their misadventures. Everyone's eyes widened.

"You moron! Why didn't you say that before hand?!" Sanji angrily shouted at the swordsman. Who ignored him and started running in a random direction. Everyone followed behind him... Didn't we just pass that tree?

"Zoro, we're running in circles!" Tani shouted in frustration. Usopp may be a strong opponent, but he was a cowardly man that would probably panic under these circumstances. "Come on let's try this way!" Tani called out, picking a direction and leading the others. She had no idea where she was going, but it was better than a circle.

They broke through the forest, finding a rice field and path. Tani let out a sigh of relief. Sanji was cooing over how much he loved women who took charge (which Tani ignored). Her need to save a comrade taking over every thought in her mind.

If she could prove herself now, then maybe she could be a valuable asset to the straw hats. She turned her head to face the left, a large building that looked akin to old Japanese architecture (at least she believed that to be the case) stood tall in the distance. If that didn't scream "evil head quarters" then she didn't know what will.

She turned in that direction and bolted, not saying a word. Her heart pounding, the selfish desire to validate herself through saving Usopp filled her guts and chest. She didn't think, she didn't listen to the cries of her crew who were running behind her, telling her to wait. Too caught up in her emotions, she failed to notice a crying and wailing Johnny running in her direction. The two collided, sending both falling backwards onto the dirt path.

"Johnny!" Yosaku cheered, his happiness fleeted when he saw the sadness in his companions eyes. "What happened? Why are you crying?". Johnny sniffled.

"She... She killed him," everyone gave him a confused look. Killed who? Who is she? Johnny started bawling again. "She killed Usopp! Nami killed Usopp in cold blood," Johnny answered.

The colour in Tani's face drained. Usopp was... Dead. But how? How could Nami have done something so cruel? Especially to a friend!

"She was one of them all along... She was a member of Arlong's crew. She's a traitor!" Johnny cried with hints of anger lacing his words. Tani felt her knees wobble, a ball formed in her throat at the thought of losing someone she considered a friend.

"You guys really are stupid aren't you?" the familiar female voice proclaimed. Everyone's attention turned to the red head. She looked deranged, like many emotions were at play in her mind. Tani however, didn't care. She stormed towards her former companion, ready to hit her in her stupid face for ending the life of someone so important!

Something, or rather someone. Namely Luffy. Held her back, grabbing her by the shoulder and shaking his head in disapproval. Her emotions ran wild, she wanted to scream, cry, attack! Anything to make this ugly feeling go away. She jutted her shoulder out of Luffy's hold and stormed off. Not wanting anyone to see her in such an ugly state. The calls of her friends bounced off her ears as she ran in the opposite direction.

Luffy looked at Tani's disappearing form. He knew she needed some time to cool off, but the look in her eyes showed just how hurt his nakama felt. There was something very wrong going on in her mind, and he needed to fix it. However, right now he needed to help Nami.

...

Tani didn't know how long she had been running for. She had made it to a village full of brightly coloured houses. The place smelled of tangerines, fresh and fruity. The people were all gathered around the... What the hell? Is that a flipped building, like the whole thing was flipped upside down! She sped towards the people, asking them what had happened. They all spoke of a brave young man with a long nose fighting off the Arlong pirates as best he could before being captured and taken away... So Usopp sacrificed himself for the welfare of the people.

She felt like she had been punched in the stomach. The blow almost knocking her back, Usopp died because he was fighting for these people. He was a brave and strong man... And here she was, trying to save him because she wanted to feel like she had some worth to this crew. She turned away from the villagers, who were all too busy discussing what they were to do with the building.

Her murky eyes landing on the form of Nami, she looked at the town with a nostalgic face. Oh how Tani wanted to rip that off her! She didn't deserve to be happy after ending the life of the man who had saved these people. But the feeling of Luffy's hand on her shoulder, ghosted by her mind. The look of disapproval he had given her prevented her from acting. She clenched her fists and left the village, death glaring Nami as she walked past.

Failing to see the look of sadness in Nami's eyes when Tani had walked away. A silent apology on the navigators mind.

Tani ran. She didn't care where, she didn't care how far or tired she got. She wanted to run away. She wanted to go home and hug her mum, leave this awful nightmare! Her body ached, her injuries from the Baratie cried out at her to stop! Rest! Anything but this. Yet she kept running. Her protesting body had had enough and she collapsed on the dirt path. Tears flushed from her eyes, she hiccuped and cried. Cursing herself for her feelings, cursing the cruel god that sent her here! Cursing Nami for killing someone she considered a companion, even if they had only known each other for such a short period of time.

The sound of dirt shifting under foot alerted her that someone was approaching. Yet at this point she didn't care, she couldn't be bothered getting up and running. If she didn't turn her attention to them, then they wouldn't draw attention her.

Well that's what she thought would happen. Instead the individual who was walking past, stopped and lifted her up, holding her under one of their arms. Not saying a word in the process. She looked through blurry eyes to find the bright red of Luffy's shirt in her vision. She struggled a bit, but her aching limbs were useless... Just like her.

"Just leave me behind Luffy..." she requested tiredly. His grip around her tightened slightly, as a silent refusal. "Why?" she questioned aloud, he didn't answer. Continuing down the dirt path, back towards the village. Tani fell silent, tired... She was very very tired.

Luffy held Tani tight, she had fallen limp when she fell asleep. He paused for a moment, moving her onto his back so she would be more comfortable. His grip around her legs was secure, she wouldn't fall. He wouldn't let her get left behind even if she wanted to. He continued forward towards the village, he needed to talk to Nami.

...

Tani awoke to the sound of crying. It was loud, ugly and full of so much heartache and pain. She shifted from her spot on the ground, confusing her for a moment but that didn't matter. Looking up at the hunched over form of Nami, tears and snot ran down her face and she rubbed at her eyes. Blood poured from her left arm, and Luffy's hat rested atop her head. Tani pushed herself off the ground and walked over to Nami.

"I'm so sorry..." Nami cried, looking up at Tani. Who in return crouched down and wrapped her arms around the sobbing girl. "Usopp is alive... Luffy and th-the others have left to-to-to fight Arlong," Nami filled in. Tani squeezed her arms around Nami in a comforting manner.

"We should go and support them. Shouldn't we?" Tani stated softly, Nami hiccuped and nodded. Tani let go of Nami, who stood up and smiled weakly at Tani. The girls looked over at the foreboding tower of Arlong Park and began their walk towards the battle.

On the way, Nami told Tani of her deal with Arlong. The story of her adoptive mother Bell-Mere, being murdered because she wanted to protect her and her sister Nojiko. Tani felt her heart ache at the pain Nami had to suffer for the sake of her people. She had struck a deal with Arlong, stating that she would buy back the village for 100,000,000 Berri... But Arlong took all the money she had stolen. She was so close.

Tani felt a rage burn in her chest, she wanted nothing more than to destroy this despicable man who had hurt and ruined the life of her friend. Tani glared at the approaching park. Ready to watch Luffy and the crew beat the ever loving shit outta this guy.

When the pair arrived the battle had yet to begin. Luffy looked pissed, as did the others. Tani stood beside Nami, who held the rim of Luffy's hat in her shaking hands. The busted up doorway as well as the destroyed part of the wall all the way back, with a purple dude in a Hawaiian shirt buried underneath it. Showed that someone had probably thrown the first punch... That someone was probably Luffy.

Luffy had his back towards the girls, but the way his shoulders were tensed and his hands held in fists. He was pissed. The fish men... Yes fish men! Were all snapped out of their collective stun lock and charged the captain. Even the sea cow! Yeah the sea cow was apparently part of the Arlong crew.

Luffy grinned, stamping his feet into the ground! The concrete ground! Like how did he even-? Back on topic. Luffy grabbed the sea cow by the horns and-

"Gum gum pinwheel!" he shouted while spinning around with the cow in hand, smashing anyone within a sea cows length. Finishing his move when he threw the cow back into the ocean... Far far away.

All that was left was three fish guys and Arlong himself. Sanji and Zoro stood beside Luffy, who hadn't unearthed himself yet. He looked like he was stuck. Which was confirmed when Luffy failed to dodge the ink spray from the octopus guy, and when he couldn't escape the large rock that was thrown at him (which Sanji thankfully broke in half before he could get hurt).

Arlong caught wind of this. A victorious grin slid onto his face, he unearthed the ground around Luffy's feet and tossed him far away into the water.

Everyone fell silent. Tani froze for only moments before her mind clicked and she tosses her bag at Nami and ran towards the water. She saw a coast line outside the wall, so she ran that way so the fish men wouldn't catch wind of her actions. She dived into the water and swam as fast as her still tired legs would carry her. Luffy's life was in her hands right now. She kicked harder, her arms pushing away as much water as she could.

The red shirt gave away his location, right at the bottom of the sea beds. His hands were over his mouth and his eyes looked frantic. Tani swam down towards his lodged feet, she pulled and tugged at them but his legs just kept stretching...

Wait a second! She turned to his face, Luffy was looking at her with tired eyes. He looked like he couldn't hold his breath anymore. Tani grabbed his head and yanked, as she had hoped! His neck stretched. She cupped his head in her hands and swam back up as fast as she could to the surface. Her lungs screamed for air.

When they broke the surface, Luffy hacked up a lung or two. He was alive, and that's all that mattered to the breathless Tani.

So here she was, holding the head of Luffy. She didn't want to think about how his neck looked under water, this was already weird enough for her. Luffy grinned at her, she smiled back with relief. She turned herself onto her back, Luffy's head being held against her chest and swam on her back towards the shore. She groggily pulled herself onto the concrete platform placed outside the walls of the Arlong Park and held Luffy's head in her lap.

Tani was tired, but she needed to stay awake and alert. Luffy was defenseless right now, and if a fish man attacked right now she needed to think of a way to fight back while keeping him alive. Luffy seemed perfectly calm, given his current situation. The sound of swords clashing and blows being exchanged could be heard. Yet she paid them no mind, keeping her focus on Luffy.

A man with a pinwheel hat, and a girl with purple hair came running down towards the pair. The fear on their faces melted away when they saw the head of Luffy resting safely against Tani.

"What about his feet?" she man questioned, Tani lifted Luffy's head up more to show how his neck was stretched out. The man grabbed his chin in thought, "Nojiko can you take hold of the boys head," the man stated, Nojiko nodded and grabbed Luffy's head from Tani. The man turned to Tani and motioned towards the water.

"We need to break him free. Nojiko is healing from a bullet wound, I'll need your help," he stated matter-of-factly. Tani stood up, she was still healing from her wounds too, but she wouldn't say that. She bent down to remove her soaked shoes and socks. The bruise from when Luffy accidently hit her screamed in protest. She held back a hiss when she turned towards the water and dived. The man following close behind.

The pair pulled and pulled on Luffy's legs, but they wouldn't budge. Tani grabbed a rock and started hitting the slab of concrete that encased his feet, but she did barely any damage. She could feel the oxygen leaving her, but she refused to resurface! Not until she could set Luffy free.

The concrete ground Luffy's feet shattered to pieces. Was it because Tani was so determined to set him free? Was it divine intervention?

No, it was Sanji, who with one kick shattered the entire slab to rubble. Luffy's body zoomed through the water to rejoin his head. Tani felt like her lungs were about to explode so she swam up as fast as she could before she could pass out. She broke the surface of the water along side Sanji, who she thrust herself onto in a hug of relief. Sanji hugged her back, finding an almost passed out Tani resting with a peaceful smile in his arms. He was just glad she was getting some rest, and swam them both back to shore, carrying her towards the group.

Tani opened her eyes to the sight of Luffy standing before Arlong with a determined stance.

"Do you know what makes us different Straw hat?" Arlong laughed with malice in his voice. Luffy held his fists up.

"Nose," he replied with a serious tone. Tani covered her mouth to stop the sputter of laughter from escaping. Arlong paused before shaking his head.

"No. You see, us fishmen are far superior to you lowly human scum." Arlong declared. Tani had heard this tune before. Sounds like someone's compensating for something...

Luffy launched himself at Arlong, throwing a fist towards the Fishman, only to have his fist caught in the shark like jaw of Arlong. Luffy yelped and pulled his fist out of Arlongs mouth, dragging a full set of teeth with it... Wicked.

Luffy thought it was cool too, because he shoved the dentures into his own mouth and started snapping the teeth. Gross... Like really gross, but Tani felt a laugh bubble in her throat.

The two exchanged more blows, Arlong even managed to bite down hard into Luffy's shoulder. Blood tricked down his arm but he brushed it off like it was nothing and continued fighting.

Luffy and Arlong at some point launched each other into the towering building. The whole town went silent with anticipation, who was going to come out victorious? They waited with baited breath. Tani's heart pounded against her chest with hope and fear.

The sound of wood crashing onto a hard surface broke her from her trance. She turned her head towards the source of the noise, and found a wooden desk, smashed to pieces. Whilst thousands of white sheets of paper fluttered and danced around in the wind. The sound of Nami quietly crying to herself could be heard by those who were paying attention, a silent thank you on her mind.

Then a leg shot through the roof of the building, which kicked down through the building. Each floor crushing in on itself. Everyone gasped in horror, even Sanji seemed to tense up. Tani realized that Luffy was in the building.

She pushed herself out of Sanji's grasp and half ran, half fumbled over her own legs. The knocked out bodies of fish men spread around the courtyard.

Tani stood before the collapsed building, staring at it. She went to climb it, remove the debris from the building. When something shifted, and Luffy emerged. Blood dribbled from his arm wounds, but he held his arms up and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"NAMI! YOU ARE MY FRIEND!"

Everyone fell silent, the loud crying of Nami could be heard. The villagers all cheered and crowded around Luffy, lifting and throwing him in the air like he was the star player on a wining football team. Tani smiled with teary eyes, thankful that her friend was alive.

...

The village partied for the whole week! It was wild, everyone was drinking and dancing all week long. Tani decided to rest her body for most of those days. Only really enjoying the party for the first day. Enjoying the many tangerine themed sweets she could get her hands on.

Oh! And her quest to find some secret melon that Luffy wanted.

"Sanji! Where's that melon thingy you found?" Luffy asked with a mouth full of food. Sanji was sitting across from Zoro, while Tani sat next to Zoro. She perked up at the mention of melons, she had an affinity for them because they reminded her of her mum for some reason.

"Those? I dunno, you should ask the old guy, he got them for me," Sanji answered, taking another breath of his cigarette. Tani stood up, the boy's eyes on her.

"Can I come?" she asked, Luffy responded with a grin. His hand grabbed her upper arm and dragged her into the crowds of people partying. Her legs still ached but she could manage, she wanted to have fun while their lives weren't in danger.

The pair searched around the town, but they couldn't find the man with the pinwheel hat. Luffy wandered outside the town with Tani in tow. It was quiet, nothing to be heard but the crickets and cicadas chirping into the night. Tani buttoned up her denim jacket, the air was a little chilly since the town was so close to the ocean. Luffy was unaffected by this, a quality Tani hoped to gain in the near future.

The clouds were cleared, the bright stars shined strong and pure. Tani had never seen them look so beautiful in her life. The moment was ruined a little when Luffy started shouting at the pinwheel man, who was standing before a crudely made cross. He looked at peace, a bit of sadness mixed with happiness.

Luffy questioned him about the melons, while Tani remained focused on the small grave the man was standing in front of. The hope that the person was in a better place now. After Luffy received his answer, and a warning to never take away Nami's smile. The pair walked away, towards the location of the melons.

Tani in the silence thought of the events of that day. How much Nami had done for her home, how much Luffy and the crew did to save the lives of these people in the name of their... Nakama? The term was still unknown to her, but she knew it had something to do with being a crew?

"Luffy," she began, the boy turned to look at her with a hum, meat still shoved in his mouth. "What's nakama? I've heard you say it a bunch." she asked. Luffy looked a little wide eyed, but swallowed his mouthful of food and began explaining.

"It's like ummm... A friend, but a super special friend." he said, "Someone or some people who are closer than family. Everyone on my crew is nakama, you're nakama," he grinned, his smile shined in the light of the moon. Mirroring that same night he proclaimed their friendship on her first night.

The atmosphere shifted, a heavy feeling weighted on the girls heart. He considered her someone closer than family, a special friend. She halted her step, her mind full of conflicting ideas. Like the concept of being that important to someone was not possible. Luffy paused a couple meters ahead, turning to look at her in confusion. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she spouted, tears prickled the corners of her eyes. Her face held a small smile, a grateful smile. "I'm sorry that you consider the likes of me in such a way. It's an honour and privilege to have someone so amazing... See something worthy in someone like me." she half laughed.

She took a step forward, Luffy remained still, but the look in his eyes was an emotion Tani couldn't read. Another step, the gap between them growing closer and closer. Tani raised her arms, taking a final step before leaping into Luffy in a tight bear hug. She didn't know how she could still have tears left to cry, but she wasn't sad anymore.

"I'll try harder to be someone worthy of such a title," she declared, squeezing the still captain in her arms. He moved his arms up to wrap around her, returning the hug. He laughed at her.

"You've saved me from drowning twice now, how are you not worthy of being nakama?" he asked, Tani laughed. She didn't really know how to respond. But that was ok, she just knew that Luffy considered her special.

And she wasn't going to let herself disappoint him.


	6. Chapter 6

The final goodbye from the Straw hats to the people of Cokayashi village was a blend of humorous and infuriated. What with Nami avoiding saying goodbye to everyone, opting to run through the crowd, jump onto the sailing boat... And lifting her shirt to reveal the many wallets she had nabbed on her way over.

Many tears fell and thanks were shared. The town was free and so was Nami. The ship sailed away, the island grew smaller and smaller until it was no longer in the view of the pirate crew. Nami clapped her hands to draw everyone's attention over to her.

"Alright crew, we should be on the course for reverse mountain. However we will be stopping at Loguetown to gather more supplies for the journey. It'll be our last stop on the East blue, so let's set sail," she informed and commanded. The boys all ran around the ship getting it ready for the journey ahead, while Tani stood still as a statue.

Since the week long party had ended, Tani had gotten enough sleep to heal most of her wounds. The only remaining wound being the bruise she'd gotten from Luffy, which was an accident he had apologized for a million times. Nami told her to take it easy, so Tani did just that. Walking to her spot on the ship and relaxing in the sunshine.

...

"Go fish!" Luffy called out as he slammed his cards onto the deck. Tani called at him, Usopp slapped a hand to his face.

"Luffy, we're playing black jack. How did you get go fish out of black jack?"

"Black jack? I thought this was poker?"

"Well I wanna play go fish,"

"That's not the poi-"

"WHAT?!" Nami shrieked over the voices of the trio. The sound of paper slapping onto the deck echoed over the ship. Nami muttered to herself in slight hysteria.

Tani, Luffy and Usopp paused their debate over what game they were playing, to investigate the problem. Nami stared wide eyed at a brownish piece of paper, which she revealed to the small crowd of onlookers. The grinning face of Luffy printed on a page with the caption.

"Dead or alive. Monkey D Luffy... 30,000000 berri," Nami recited, she looked nervous. "Luffy! You're a wanted man now." she complained.

Luffy looked elated at the news, giving his signature laugh as if he was proud of that achievement. Tani tapped Nami's shoulder and whispered so as to not disrupt the celebrations.

"So your telling me that Luffy now has some kinda bounty on his head? Does that mean the sea police are gonna be after him?" she asked, Nami groaned and face palmed. Turning to the clueless girl and nodding tiredly. Tani mouthed an "oh" back and turned to the cheering Luffy. He seemed stoaked about it, so she wouldn't want to ruin the fun.

"Sanji! We need to celebrate with food, I want a feast!" Luffy cheered, Sanji rolled his eyes but did as the captain requested. Disappearing into the kitchen to begin working on his mammoth task. Tani went to follow him, maybe lend a hand since she knew he would be making a lot of mess with all the dishes he needed to prepare. The only obstacle being Luffy himself.

"Hey Tani! Usopp and I are going fishing, you should join us." Luffy grinned, Usopp nodded in agreement. "We could catch something for dinner later," Luffy added, light sweetening the pot.

"I've never gone fishing in my life, I wouldn't know how to do it." Tani replied sheepishly, not like she had a dad to take her fishing anyway, "Plus you look like you only have two rods," she said, slowly shuffling towards the kitchen. Luffy stood up and held out the rod he was holding

"Let's fish together then," he said, one of his arms stretched out and grabbed her wrist. He dragged her over to their fishing spot, pulling her hand onto the fishing rod.

The pair held it together, their hands totem poling up the rod. They sat next to each other, with the fishing rod inbetween them. Usopp moved over a bit to make room for the third fisherman.

Nothing really happened for the first couple of minutes. Tani almost felt bored if it hadn't been for Luffy and Usopp explaining how fishing worked, she would have fallen asleep... Then a fish bit the hook of her rod, she snapped out of her trance and pulled at the rod with the added strength of Luffy. The pair struggled against the fish, like a game of tug-of-war that Tani wasn't ready to lose.

"Come on Luffy! Pull harder," the girl struggled, Luffy gave a strong tug. A splash from the water followed by the large shadow of a fish flying towards the pair of now toppled over teenagers indicated that the fish was now out of the water... That and the fact the fish slapped right into Tani's stomach, flopping around on top of her which caused the girl to freak out and throw the fish off herself.

Luffy caught the fish but it slipped from his grasp and flopped back onto Tani. She threw the fish again, this time it smacked into Usopp and sent him over the edge of the boat. Losing both the sniper and the fish. Luffy was holding his stomach, laughing his ass off at the display. Tani was in the process of removing her shoes when Zoro walked over and tossed a rope ladder down. A small smirk on his face as if he found this all a little bit funny... Which it was but still!

Usopp sputtered and spat the salt water he had inhaled, grumbling about falling off the boat. Tani giggled at the craziness of it all. Luffy held out a hand for her to grab, she accepted and he pulled her to her feet.

"Maybe next time. I should have my own rod," she laughed, Luffy shook his head in disagreement.

"No way! That was way too fun. Let's go again," he said, grabbing the rod and shoving it into Tani's hands, she pushed it back into his. They repeated in their own game of tug-of-war. Usopp and Zoro watched with amusement. Tani turned to look at them, a look of begging in her eyes. They just stood back and grinned. She would have to get them back for this one day.

"Food's ready!" Sanji called out, like an angel from the heavens had come down to save the capped girl from her needy captain. Said captain released the rod and bolted for the kitchen. Tani stood there with the fishing rod in her hands. She turned to glare at the two men that watched her attempts at fending off the rubber man, but they had already made their way towards the feast that Sanji had prepared. Tani let out a sigh, and followed the boys.

The room smelled mouth wateringly good. Sanji was the greatest gift on this ship! Tani sat beside Nami and began plating food for herself. There was a tension in the room, everyone was focused on Luffy who was shovelling plates upon plates of food into his mouth like a vacuum cleaner! Tani knew he had an appetite, but this was ridiculous. His wandering hands came flying towards everyone's plates, the crew armed themselves to protect their meals.

Tani got away mostly unscathed. Having inhaled it as quickly as she could before he could lay a hand on her plate. Usopp wasn't so lucky, having almost half his food sent to the void that is Luffy's stomach. Tani thanked karma, hoping it would strike on Zoro soon.

...

"Woah! That's a huge fish!" Luffy cheered, reiling in the fish on his line. Tani was resting beside him, watching him fish. She had her Walkman playing in her ears, spacing out as the music lulled her. Luffy was too busy fishing to notice that she was wearing them. All was calm, not at all what she was expecting with a captain that has a bounty on his head.

Now that she thought about it... There were still do many things she had yet to learn about this world and how it works. From the basics of berri as a currency, to the reason why pirates and... Marines? The sea police as she preferred to call them. It was all so familiar in an uncanny way. Concepts she could understand but we're just... Different.

"Hey Luffy, quick question," she asked softly, Luffy turned to face her. "Why did you become a pirate?" she asked, Luffy smiled with nostalgia, removing his hat and holding it in his hands with a fondness.

"I wanna become the king of the pirates. I want to be the most free man in the whole world." he answered with pride and determination. Tani was left in awe. She enjoyed these little moments with Luffy, getting to learn about him and the world.

"Alright then, how do you become the king of the pirates?" she continued asking, she needed to know more.

"If you wanna be the king, you need to find the One Piece. Nobody's been able to find it since Gold Roger died. That's why I'm gonna find it, I'm gonna be the king." he declared. Tani shivered, this sounded all too familiar to the legendary treasure she made up for her game of pirates with the boys at school. Just imagine how cool it would be to be the king of the pirates!

"I'm sure you will," Tani smiled. Luffy snickered back. "I wish we had something like that at home. Like imagine, Tani! King of the pirates," she motioned her hands in an arc shape to put emphasis on such a title.

Luffy thought about it, the idea that Tani's world didn't have the One Piece was so strange to him. How would they have any rulers? All this thinking was making him hungry.

"Oi Tani! Luffy! I made a new fishing rod so we can all fish together!" called Usopp while waving two fishing rods in his hands. Luffy's eyes gleamed, his cheering was loud and excited. Honestly Luffy has no inside voice, the guy is so loud he could scare off a giant sea cow.

Usopp jogged towards the pair with an outstretched hand. Tani held out a hand and grabbed the rod he was holding out. Luffy was bouncing with joy.

Tani turned back towards the sea... How do you fish again? She'd watched Luffy toss the line and return with a fish for the past hour or so... She held the rod in her hands, pulled her arms back and flicked the rod hard. The line went flying through the air before hitting the ocean with a plop. Usopp and Luffy did the same. A small grin flickered onto the girls face.

"How about a game?" she suggested, both boys interests were peaked. "Person who catches the biggest fish wins, losers need to do whatever the winner wants." she wagered. The champion in their eyes glistened.

"They don't call me master fisherman Usopp for nothing! Now prepare to meet your doom!" Usopp proclaimed, Tani giggled.

"Careful, you'll scare the fish away with such an ego," she snickered. Turning her attention back to the game. She may not be a great fisherman, but she loved a good game. The looks of determination in their eyes made her feel the strength of this crew. It made her want to strive to be a better member of the crew.

Something tugged at her line, her eyes widened and her grip around the rod tightened. The tug pulled hard against her. She heaved and pulled against the fish, this could be a big one! The fish was strong, it pulled so hard that Tani almost went flying off the boat. Luckily Luffy and Usopp grabbed her and helped her reil in the beast.

One loud splash later, a pretty large fish was flopping around on the deck. Tani smiled at her catch, then shifted her face into a proud smirk. A face that screamed "beat that!" Usopp and Luffy hardened their looks, ready to catch a better fish.

Needless to say, the group fished enough fish to feed an army. But the award for biggest fish goes to...

"I win! Captain Usopp is the ruler of the fish!" Usopp cheered with his foot resting atop the massive fish he hauled in, looking like a superhero or one of those old statues with a guy holding a flag. Tani laughed lightly, congratulating Usopp on his win. Luffy was super excited about all the fish they caught together. Hoping they could do something like that again some other day.

"Now as the winner! I get the prize of being your captain for the day!" Usopp snickered, Luffy turned to him in a huff. He went to protest but Tani held a hand out to stop him. She made the rules and they all agreed. So with a mock salute Tani readied herself for the many commands she would receive.

...

"I can't believe he made me take his night watch!" Tani complained, she was stupid to think that Usopp would be a merciful captain, but he was just a lazy ass that made the two losers do all his chores (though Sanji cleaned the dishes that Tani was set to do). Tani climbed up the rope ladder, climbing into the crows nest at the top of the boat. She had to admit that the view from up there was breathtaking. She sighed as the cold air began to chill her skin. Luckily the crew left a blanket in the nest for the night watchmen. It was a simple thing, but a kindness that she was grateful for.

It was around 3 in the morning when Tani began to nod off. She wasn't much of a night owl, preferring to wake up early than stay up into the later hours... It was too lonely at night time. No other boats passed, no islands showed themselves. It was boring and lonely... And quiet.

It's funny how when someone is alone with their thoughts, many ugly feelings begin to arise from the depths of their mind. The memory of when she spent one night staying up late to comfort her crying mother after... The echoes of apologies for... Tani felt her heart well up, why did she think about that bastard? He didn't care about her and her mother! So why should she be thinking about that prick coward that left the moment he knocked her mother up.

She focused her thoughts on her mother. Her warm swampy eyes, akin to her own. The wild curly Afro her mum would style into space buns because she wanted to be "Hip with the kids" as she stated. Tani wasn't blessed with such curls, though she wished she was. Oh and mums really great singing voice! Tani wasn't blessed with the angelic voice of her mother, she often compared her own singing voice to that of a wailing walrus. Boy did she love singing duets with her mum in the car. When Micheal Jackson or Queen started playing, you could bet your ass the Duo would be singing their lungs out.

Tani snickered at the thoughts, she loved her mum. The women was her bestest friend in the world. Which is why she needed to get back to her, just to make sure she was doing well.

Tani was so focused on her thoughts that she failed to notice the Straw hat captain that was now wandering the deck. Only making his presence known when he climbed the rope ladder to greet the girl stuck in her thoughts. Tani squeaked a little, before lazily waving and greeting him in return.

"Why you up so early?" Tani asked curiously with a yawn. Luffy shrugged, he just wasn't tired right now so he thought he would just hang out with whoever was on watch.

"You cold?" she asked him, opening the blanket a bit as an offering. Luffy scooted over and cloaked himself in the blanket he was offered. Shoulder to shoulder, legs pressed against each other. It was cosy and warm. Tani felt the urge to just fall asleep right now, but her duty as night watch was far too important. Maybe a story could help. "Do you have any stories you can tell?" she asked aloud. Luffy hummed in thought, when a story popped into his mind.

"Oh! Shanks used to tell me this really cool story about his old crew," he started, Tani lazily nodded. Her head slumping a little. The story Luffy told was definitely exciting, but Tani was just too sleepy to really pay any attention. Her eyes would shut longer every time she closed them, until she fell asleep with her head resting on Luffy's shoulder. Luffy smiled at her sleeping form, and assuming her role as watchmen for the rest of the night.

...

"Did you know you snore and drool in your sleep?" Luffy informed the groggy girl during breakfast. Tani gave him a glare, it was too early in the morning for this... She wasn't really a nice person in the morning if she had less than 6 hours of sleep, and the pirates life was an early morning one.

"Did you know that I'll kick your ass if you bother me again," she retorted, grabbing a plate from the bench before Sanji could hand them out. She didn't want to interact with anyone right now because if she snapped at the wrong person she could be kicked off the crew... It probably wasn't a good idea to snap at luffy, now that she thought about it. She walked out the door of the kitchen with a half finished plate of bacon and eggs, it was missing the eggs... So bacon and buttered toast.

She sat against the wall next to the door of the kitchen. Groaning at herself for being such an ass towards Luffy, even if he didn't seem upset she felt like a jerk. Though... It felt nice not having to fend off Luffy's greedy hands from her food.

From her spot she could see the three fishing rods resting against the railing. She smiled fondly, yesterday's fishing game on her mind. Fishing had been way more fun than she had expected. If the weather stayed nice maybe they could all go fishing again.

The kitchen door creaked open, boots clacked against the wooden boards of the deck. Tani lifted her head to find Zoro towering over her. He gave her a lazy wave before walking to the back of the ship, probably to train... Or have a nap. Tani thought it might not be a bad idea to chill out in his company. She hadn't really talked to him much, but in the two or so weeks she'd known him she could tell he was loyal and very strong.

Carrying her plate with her, Tani sat on the stairs and watched the man lift weights that no human should be able to lift... At this point she'd be desensitised to the absurdity of this world. He trained without a word, except maybe a grunt or two if he was getting tired. She found it mesmerising to watch him training so hard. The scar that ran up his torso being a reminder of his weakness.

"Oi," Zoro broke the silence, Tani looked at his face. He waved her over, "Mind giving me a hand here," he requested, Tani nodded. She stood up and walked towards the much taller man.

"Whatcha need?" she asked curiously. He dropped to the ground hands propping his body up... Oh my god! Is he gonna-

"Sit in my back, I need the extra weight and you look heavy," he said, Tani looked at him in disbelief... Did he just call her fat? Or was that Tani the grouch talking? Her brows knitted together in anger, she crossed her arms but complied with the green haired man. Crossing her legs and sitting in his back, he began doing his push-ups.

Zoro remained silent when training. Tani wanted to start a conversation but she didn't know what to talk about. Her eyes landed on the three sword sheaths with only one sword still remaining. A conversation bubbled in her brain.

"why do you use three swords?" she asked, Zoro was silent for a couple more push-ups before opening his mouth.

"Because three swords are better than one," he replied, Tani snorted at his reply.

"I thought that only applied to brains? I mean, what does the sword in your mouth even do? If you ask me, you should have one attached to you leg." she giggled, Zoro grunted at her attempts at humour.

"That's just dumb! How would I walk?" he asked, Tani smirked when a devious idea popped into her mind.

...

"This is stupid," Zoro commented. Tani finished clipping a single roller skate to the guys foot. She was surprised to find that they had a similar foot size... Now that she thought about it everyone had similar feet sizes. Maybe it was a world thing? She also grabbed a rope and tied one of the empty sheaths to his free leg. He held the other two sheaths in his hands, while the only sword he had was in his mouth. Tani laughed at the "four sword style" as she called it.

"Think of this as training, what if you find yourself in a situation when you need to use your legs?" she reasoned. Zoro rolled his eyes, pointing down at the one roller blade on his foot.

"And what good will this do me?" he questioned. Tani honestly just wanted him to fly around like a headless chicken while flailing swords in the air. But that wouldn't be nice to say now would it.

"Um... Training?" she shrugged. He gave her a glare. Tani decided to make this more interesting.

"How about we have a battle? Only rule is you can't actually cut me with the sword in your mouth because I don't feel like embracing death until next Tuesday." she asked. Zoro's lips curled up in approval of this little challenge.

"Put the other skate on. That should make things more even," he smirked. Bingo! She got him right where she want him! He may be a master with the swords, but she was a pro at skating. Even with a single shoe she could kick major ass, so with a sweet smile and devilish eyes the girl nodded, clipping the shoe onto her foot.

"Let me just grab my yo-yo's then," she sounded as clumsy as she could. Before lifting her free leg and as if she was on a skateboard, propelled herself towards the stairs and grind railed down them. She faced him with a shit-eating grin and skated off to grab her yo-yo's.

When she returned with her weapon of choice she almost burst into tears with laughter. Zoro was wobbling around trying to keep himself balanced. She twirled her yo-yo's to draw his attention to her.

"Ready?" she smirked, he gave her a hardened glare. She could see the concentration in his eyes, he was really serious right now which would have made her shake like a leaf... If he didn't look like an idiot with his "four sword style". He gave her a nod.

The two charged at each other... Well Tani charged, Zoro awkwardly scooted around as he tried to keep balanced while also paying attention to his much faster and more skilled opponent. She attempted to aim for his bladed leg, but he was onto her. His sheathed leg flicking up and kicking the yo-yo flying the other direction.

He striked with the sheaths in his hands, Tani narrowly dodged them thanks to her skills and his unbalanced form.

Stretching her free leg, she swept the ground. Knocking Zoro off his balance completely, had it not been for the strength of the sheaths in his hands being used to prop himself up he would have smacked into the deck. Tani circled back to knock him down, mimicking that guillotine move she'd seen Sanji use once. Jumping high into the air with her free leg flying down to hit the downed swordsman's back.

Zoro waited for just the right moment to make a move. His opponent may have had an advantage with mobility, but he had way more experience with combat. She was predictable. Her leg came crashing down fast, Zoro reacted by pushing himself off the ground and spinning so his sheaths would hit her away.

What he didn't expect was the wide grin on the girls face. She tugged her hand away, a string he hadn't noticed attached to her index finger. His bladed leg moved with the tug of her hand. Zoro turned his attention to the yo-yo wrapped around his foot... And completely forgot about the guillotine leg aimed right for his back.

Whack!

The impact sent Zoro into the ground, he grunted and laid there for a moment. Tani jumped and cheered at her victory. Winning against a handicapped opponent wasn't really something she should have been proud of, but she'd seen Zoro fight before and he was a pro. She rolled over to him and held a hand out for him. He looked at her and gave her a smile, he had that proud dad look to him. Grabbing her hand she pulled him up. He fumbled a bit thanks to the skate still attached to his foot.

"Can you get this dumb shoe off my foot?" he asked tiredly. Very clearly sick of the skate. Tani helped him unclip the buckles on the skate and slip it off, laughing at his misery the whole time.

"You know, for a first time rider. You weren't terrible," Tani complimented. Zoro's face lifted a bit. "I reckon if you had both skates, and practice a lot. You could possibly become a skilled skater." she continued her stream of compliments.

"You're not bad when it comes to combat. I thought you had no combat experience until the Baratie?" Zoro observed. Tani crossed her arms and leaned against the railing of the boat.

"I have been in fights before. They were mostly just fist fights at school because some jackasses thought it would be funny to pick on the one black girl in the yard," she monologued. Zoro had no idea why someone would be dumb enough to fight someone for something so dishonourable, but nodded in acknowledgement of her skills. She breathed a laugh.

"Well we're on a wanted ship now, and you have no real combat skills." Zoro stated bluntly, Tani glared at him with a pout. Her morning grumpiness creeping back. "It would be stupid not to train, and hone in the skills you already have. I'm sure the crew would be willing to help if you ask," he suggested.

Was Zoro trying to help her out? He always seemed so distant from everyone except Luffy and occasionally Sanji (but only when the two were bantering/insulting one another). She gave him a thumbs up.

"Also... I'm never getting into those demon shoes again, so don't ask," he grumbled, Tani paused... Then burst into a hearty, gut clenching laugh. Zoro started yelling at her to shut up but she couldn't help it. The memory of Zoro flailing about was still fresh in her memories.

The rest of the crew sat in the kitchen with relaxed smiles as they listened to the laughing and general happiness of their most mysterious crew member. Luffy jumped from his seat and ran out the door to join the pair outside in all the fun they were having.

"What are you guys doing? Can I join in?" Luffy asked quickly, Tani looked up from the ground while Zoro glared at her with darkening cheeks.

"We're," Tani choked on a laugh. "We-we're," she couldn't spit out the words. So Zoro jumped in with a devilish gleam.

"We're discussing how Tani will be doing all of my dish duties if I train her," Zoro grinned. Tani stopped laughing and looked at Zoro with surprise, she went to object to that agreement but Luffy cut her off.

"That's smart, now Tani will be able to fight better," Luffy said while clapping his fist into the open palm of his other hand.

Actually that was a pretty good deal... Until she remembered the amount of dishes there were after any meal.

"Breakfast is over right? Well then Tani," Zoro said smugly, "Better get to it," he said with a wave. Tani grumbled but did as she was asked.

While rolling away, Zoro called out one more thing.

"Every morning at 8 o'clock, be here for training," he instructed. Tani turned around and gave a salute before turning the corner and entering the kitchen.

...

"You got dish duty again?" Sanji scoffed. Seeing Tani report to him for the second day in a row. Now he was going to wash the whole lot of dishes a second time, how tiring. "It's alright Tani dearest, you can leave this to-"

"No I'll help, I got myself into this one so that's what I get," she interrupted, bumping Sanji out of the way, grabbing the sponge and getting right to work. Sanji stuttered and tried to get the work out of her hands but she ignored him and started to whistle.

It was a tune that Sanji hadn't heard before, it sounded joyful and full of energy. Then she started to mutter the words under her breath.

"walking on the sunshine," she muttered softly, "and don't I feel good, hey." she started bouncing on her feet and scrubbing to the beat of her song. Sanji found himself wanting to hear the song too.

"What songs that?" Sanji asked carefully. Tani blinked, as if broken from a trance. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Song?" she let the words register, before horror dawned on her features, "Oh my lord I was singing wasn't I?" she said shyly. Sanji waved his hands in front of him.

"You sounded lovely Tani my dear, like an siren dragging poor sailors to sea," he praised. Tani was messing with her hands.

"Normally when I'm washing dishes, it's accompanied by a live band playing music," she informed. Sanji stayed silent while she spoke, "That or I'm at home with mum, I clean and she dries. We normally have the radio playing and we belt out all the latest hits." Tani snickered. Remembering when her mum pulled a wooden spoon off the drying rack and started singing into it loudly.

"Radio that plays music huh? That's a smart idea," Sanji pondered out loud. Tani sounded sheepish.

"I have a bunch of songs that my mum and I picked out as our favourites," Tani said, she had a silent question she wanted to ask but the words wouldn't leave her. Sanji met her half way.

"You can play the songs if you want my dearest Tani," he told her. Tani grinned widely.

"I'll be right back!" she called out, running out of the room to her own to get her Walkman. Sanji smiled at her fleeting form.

...

Nami walked into the kitchen to the sound of music she'd never heard before, Tani was dancing and mimicked singing all the words while Sanji was smiling at her softly.

"Sanji, can I have a drink?" the red head asked. Holding a small handful of tangerines towards the blonde. He took them from her gracefully and got to work. Tani was finishing up on her final dish, she turned to find Nami sitting at the table with a notebook in hand.

"What's that?" Tani asked curiously. The red head looked up at her with a sweet expression. Tani felt happy that the tension that was between them before Arlong Park was long gone.

"It's a shopping list, since I don't know how long it'll be until we get to another island after Loguetown," she informed. Tani peeked at the list and found mostly food, water, clothes and hygiene products... Tani suddenly felt really sticky.

"I just realized I haven't had a proper bath since I got here..." Tani said out loud. Nami stated at her with a mix of disgust and surprise.

"You're only just noticing that now?" the red head sighed. Slapping the notebook closed and grabbing Tani around her arm. "Sanji make sure Luffy doesn't steer the ship off course. Tani and I will be in the bathroom,"

"We?"

"Two beautiful ladies sharing a bath together," Sanji said breathlessly. Though a staggering glare from Nami stopped any and all perverted thoughts from the blonde chef.

Nami dragged Tani to the bathroom and dumped her there. The girl looked at the room in confusion, this didn't look anything like a bathroom from home. There was no shower, only a deep bathtub, a corner with a stool and bucket which had all the hygiene products on a shelve beside it.

Nami came back with a handful of clothes for Tani and herself. She put them on the sink bench and started to strip herself off. Tani waved her hands and looked away.

"Woah woah woah, what are you doing? I can wait outside?" Tani said frantically. Much to Nami's confusion.

"What's wrong? It's just me Tani," Nami assured. Tani was just as confused. You don't just bathe with people, even if they're your friends.

Unless that's what was considered normal over here? Nami stopped pulling her shirt off and turned to Tani with a sisterly smile. Tani nervously explained.

"Normally we take showers and baths by ourselves... You know, for privacy reasons," Tani said nervously. Nami gave an "oh" sound of realisation. "I'm sorry, I must be coming off as so rude right now," Tani said sheepishly. Nami just laughed.

"That's alright, do you want me to leave?" she asked. Tani shook her head, if it was a culture thing than she would need to learn how to deal with it. Not everyone would be as nice about it as Nami.

So the girls both stripped off their clothes, Tani much slower than Nami. Tani avoided making eye contact with anything below Nami's bare shoulders. The red head lead Tani to the washing station, giving her head a good scrubbing to get rid of the built up grease and muck that had built up over so long. The feeling was soothing.

Nami got Tani to rinse the suds out of her hair and enter the deep bath to soak while Nami did her own hair. Tani felt like melting in the warmth of the bath water. A comfortable silence washed over the girls.

Nami entered the tub with Tani, the girls sighed in content. The small window beside the tub showing nothing up the vast ocean and fluffy white clouds. Nami gave a soft giggle.

"I haven't bathed with someone since I was living with my sister," Nami said softly. Lifting a leg out of the water to watch the water drip off. Tani smiled softly. She'd met Nojiko, the girl was tough and pretty cool. Tani wished she had a sister growing up.

"Must have been nice," Tani said. Name nodded.

"I've missed it... I missed so many years of my youth because of Arlong," she said solemnly. Tani looked at her with empathy, eyes landing on the tattoo she had redone on her shoulder. It looked like a mix of a pinwheel and tangerine. It was very fitting of Nami. Then an idea popped into Tani's mind.

Tani splashed water into Nami's face, the navigator flustered and wiped at her eyes to removed the water while Tani burst into laughter. Nami narrowed her eyes playfully. Cupping some water and splashing it back at Tani. The girls made a huge mess of the bathroom, water was all over the place. The sound of Nami laughing like a child made it all worth the clean up.

...

Dinner came and passed, the crew all fought for their meals against Luffy. Though the mood felt more comfortable for Tani. She found herself laughing easier with everyone. Smiling brighter and speaking up more.

She felt like a part of the family.

Like she could be considered nakama.

That's all she could ever ask for.


	7. Chapter 7

"Oi Nami! Is that the island you were talking about?" Zoro called from the crows nest. Nami looked at the horizon to find an island made of stone with a huge town upon it. She smiled at the realization that this was indeed Loguetown.

"Make a course for that island! It's the one we're after," she commanded, everyone on the crew dropped what they were doing and took their positions to steer the ship on the right path. Tani still wasn't much help, since she really had no idea how to sail. So she observed Luffy, Zoro and Usopp running around to prep the sails. Sanji was with Nami, he steered the pole while Nami directed him.

The ship was now on course for Loguetown. She'd heard that it was the last town before they would enter the Grand line, a wild and unpredictable strip of sea that hid the legendary One Piece that Luffy wanted to find. From what she'd learned about the Grandline, it sounded terrifying and deadly. Of course she would be safer with the crew than if she stayed behind on some island, but she didn't want to die before she got home.

"Alright crew, what's the plan?" Tani asked when everyone had finished preping the ship. Nami stepped forward and explained the plan.

"Sanji and I are going to look for supplies, other than that everyone can go do their own thing... Just don't start any trouble." she glared at Luffy and Zoro. The pair didn't notice her jab at them. "we'll regroup before dusk," she declared. The group all nodded in agreement.

Tani wandered to the front of the boat once the group split off, she watched the island draw closer. This would be the first island she's landed on, without the threat of being killed. At least she hoped...

"Hey Tani," Luffy greeted, he perched himself on his spot atop the figure head of the ship. "What are you gonna do when we get to the island?" he asked curiously. Tani thought about it for a moment.

"I don't know. I mean I have no money so I can't go shopping. I'm probably gonna just walk around and hope I don't get lost." she answered. Luffy hummed in response. "What about you? Got any plans captain?" Tani inquired.

"I'm going to find the place where they executed Gold Roger." he responded. Tani's eyes widened in surprise, well that's morbid... At least he has a goal? Tani would prefer to pass on that activity.

"This town was the place he was born and executed in... I wanna see what he saw before he died." Luffy said with determination. Tani admired that in him.

"Tani," Nami's voice called from across the boat. Tani turned to face the approaching woman, who had a chipper look on her features. "Would you like to come shopping with Sanji and I? We could use a couple more hands," she asked. Tani thought about it for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"Can we get me some more clothes? I've kinda been in need," Tani asked, motioning to her now rather ratty looking striped shirt, shorts and socks. Nami agreed to the terms. Even promising not to charge interest on the loan of berri because it's a "woman's matter" which was lucky for Tani.

"Luffy did you need anything while we're out?" Nami asked. The captains eyes sparkled.

"More meat!" he cheered. Nami groaned with a fondness to her tone.

"Aye captain," she said, turning to face the island approaching, "Prepare to dock everyone!" she commanded.

"Aye aye!"

...

"Our first stop should be the market place," Nami announced. Holding up her note pad to tick off anything they come across. Sanji had his own list of food items that was a must have for the ship. Nami predicted that they wouldn't have any other islands to restock on for an least two weeks.

Tani kept her eye out for any clothing stores that peaked her interest. She wasn't sure if this world would have fashion that fit her style like home did.

"Hey Sanji?" Nami called to the chef. Her turned to her with a love struck expression.

"Yes my love?" he replied. She turned around with two bags in hand, one full of white rice and the other with brown rice.

"Which one would be best? The white rice is cheaper but I don't know if that's because brown rice is healthier or what?" Nami questioned.

"Brown rice is much higher in fiber and nutrition. That's the more healthy of the options," Sanji replied. Tani decided to tune them out, she didn't really care much for what's more healthy, just that she could shove it in her mouth and eat it.

Tani decided to take a small walk around the market place. She'd never been to a market before, since the prices were too high for her mother's budget. She felt like a child in a candy store, so many different colours and wares being sold.

*jingle*

What was that? Tani turned her head to look around, maybe it was a store front with a bell on the door. However she couldn't see any stores that fit the description.

*jingle*

There it is again. Why was she so fixated on that sound? It was just a bell noise. Yet it drew her attention like light to a moth, something about it was like a summoning.

*jingle*

Where are you-

"There you are!" Nami said loudly, clasping a hand around Tani's upper arm. Tani snapped back to reality, the sound of the bell suddenly going silent. What happened?

"Come on, we found a clothing store just around the corner," Nami stated, pulling Tani along. The girl gave the navigator her full attention. Noticing the absence of a blonde man.

"Where's Sanji?" Tani asked. Nami jerked her thumb back towards the market place.

"He was looking at the fish part of the market, the smell was sticking to me so I left him to it." she replied. Tani nodded. "Now let's get you some clothes," Nami grinned. Tani suddenly felt like she was going to become a Barbie doll...

...

Once Nami had finished dressing Tani up like her very own American girl doll, she told Tani that she could go explore on her own if she wanted. Tani agreed to that, taking the new clothes she got as well as the shopping they'd already bought and dropped them off at the ship.

Tani wandered around the crowded town for a while. Absorbing the pretty stone streets and colourful people that came in all shapes and sizes.

She walked through a certain street when she heard it again.

*jingle*

She narrowed her gaze, she needed to pin point where the hell that sound was coming from! It was driving her crazy. Tightening the straps of her bag-

*jingle*

Was it louder now? Tani decided to survey her surroundings. What did she see?

There were stores here that had bells on them, lots of kids and adults wandering around with coins in their purses-

"Watch it-"

"Sorry my bad!" Tani was quick to apologize. She lifted her head to face a very tall man with silver hair, though he didn't look a day over 35. He was smoking two cigars, had tired eyes and wore an open jacket with no shirt underneath.

In other words, super intimidating.

Tani looked like she was on the brink of panicking, she wasn't sure if it was just the aura he gave off, but she felt like she was interacting with a cop.

"Just watch where you're going kid, I don't want to be carting dumb brats like you to a hospital because you're too up in the clouds to watch your step," he sighed, sounding like a tired old grandpa. Tani sheepishly rubbed at her neck.

"Sorry sir," she said with a shaky voice, the man gave her an uncomfortable look.

"Kid you don't have to be so formal, just-" he sighed another tired sigh. "Do you have somewhere to be? I can escort you there," he offered.

"Oh no no sir, I mean um-"

"Captain Smoker," Smoker offered. Tani blinked, was he a pirate? Where's his crew? Or was it captain as in police officer captain? She wasn't sure but it was probably bad news for her.

"Well Captain, I'm just walking around because my ship sets sail later today," Tani offered with a forced smile. He was a nice enough guy, but policemen just gave her the chills, she'd seen too many news stories of their... Less than kind reactions towards people of her own skin tone. "Thank you for the offer though, I really should be going." she said quickly. God she must have looked so suspicious!

Smoker gave her a quizzical look but let it go. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a square of paper, handing it to the girl before him. She looked it over and found it to be a map of the island.

"Just don't wander off into some shady spots, there are pirates lingering around." he informed. Yep he's a cop. "If you need any help, don't be afraid to call for it." he offered with what she could only assume to be kindness. He was nice, even if his exterior was intimidating as all hell. Tani let herself drop her guard, just a little bit to show some genuine gratitude.

"Thank you captain, I'll be going now," Tani said with a wave. She walked away from the officer until the smell of smoke was no longer lingering in the air.

*jingle*

Oh right! That mystery. It was following her, she just knew it!

Tani moved into a lone alley way, sliding her bag off her back and rummaged through it. Her hands brushed against the small metal bell she'd found a week earlier. The one that was silent when she last saw it. Shaking the once silent bell, it chimed... Why here though?

The bell still in hand, the curious girl shook it while she walked. Sometimes it got louder, other times it got quiet. Her thoughts ran wild! Why was it making noises? What was waiting for her when she finished this game of hot and cold? Why did she have the bell in the first place? Her hopes were that she could find some answers as to why she was here and not home, but she didn't think that was likely.

The bell lead her down an alley way that was far away from the main street. The area was quiet and devoid of life... Except for the cheery music of a convenience store... How the hell was there a convenience store during the pirate period? With electricity to boot! Tani stared at the sliding doors of the store front. It looked like a seven eleven from the outside. She put on a brave face and walked through the door, the same sound the bell made being heard when she entered.

The place had this other worldly feeling, like how she imagined a pocket dimension felt in a sci-fi movie. She wandered around a bit, finding aisles of snacks, knickknacks and other miscellaneous items. It was like a mini Walmart mixed with a seven eleven... It felt strange, like a mix of home but wrong?

"Just browsing are we?" a silky smooth voice spoke from across the store. Tani lifted her eyes to stare into the face of a... Person? They looked human enough but held an air similar to this entire store... Otherworldly.

"Just browsing," she parroted. The person giggled, but left her alone. Tani looked at the price of each item. The currency was something she had never seen before. It wasn't berri or money. Confused and a little concerned about how long she's been in the store, Tani made her way back towards the entrance when the voice of the mystery cashier spoke again.

"Not buying anything?" they sounded dissapointed. Tani shook her head.

"I don't have any money," she explained. The cashier giggled again.

"What do you mean? You're rolling in it," they stated, pointing at the right pocket on Tani's jacket. Her hand dipped into the pocket, clasping what felt like a credit card? She lifted it up and showed it to the cashier.

"What is this? What is this place?" she asked curiously, the person giggled again.

"This is your local IDCS, for all your inter-dimensional needs. Need a taste of home? Some common conveniences? Then IDCS is the place for you. Just listen to your IDCS bell to find the closest store to you." the cashier recited like an infomercial.

Tani blinked for a moment as the information processed itself into her brain. Well that cleared up a bunch of things, confirmed others and provided her with a bucket full of new questions.

"So how many credits do I have on this card?" she asked, handing the cashier the card. They looked at it and smiled.

"Translated into your dimensions currency your credit worth is $5000," they answered merrily. Tani felt her mouth drop. No way! There was no way! How did she earn that much money? But with this new information Tani ran straight to the drinks aisle and grabbed a raspberry fanta, then grabbed a box of roll ups and a chocolate block. Slammed them on the counter with a smile and proceeded with the purchase.

The cashier magicked up a plastic bag with a little bell attached to it. The bell jingled in a similar fashion as the one she arrived with. Tani turned to leave the store, she smiled and waved at the cashier, who smiled and waved back.

It took Tani a while to get back to the main street, even with the map that Smoker had provided. The clouds had begun to dull as if it was about to rain. Maybe she should have grabbed an umbrella? She was certain she would find that store or one like it again in the future. She shrugged and walked into the street with her bag swinging beside her. Not really paying attention to where she was going, she found herself in what looked like the town square.

A massive fountain was in the centre, but that wasn't the most strange thing she found. No that would have to be the large platform that stood high and mighty over the people below. She looked at it with that same curiosity she'd had all day.

She sat by the fountain, opening the bottle of raspberry fanta and taking a quick mouthful. God she missed the sweet fizziness of soft drink, did they have fizzy here?

"Get down from there!" the sound of a tired man groaned nearby. Tani lifted her head towards the man.

Captain Smoker? Already?

She turned her gaze to where he was yelling... To find Luffy climbing up the metal bars holding up the platform. Tani rolled her eyes and facepalmed.

"Luffy! What are you doing?" she shouted at the boy, both Luffy and Smoker looked at the shouting girl. The man gave her a quizzical look whilst Luffy waved his hand wildly at her.

"I'm gonna see the world the way Gold Roger did before he died!" he said before turning back to climb higher. Smoker groaned, his arms started to go a misty white colour. Tani stared in awe at this... Luffy being Luffy ended up accidentally stretching and slingshoting himself across town because of course he did. Tani stood still, looking at the spot Luffy was a moment ago. The mist around Smoker disappeared, he then turned his attention to the darker skinned girl to ask some questions.

"You again? I'm guessing you know that kid," he asked grumpily. Tani rubbed at her forehead. Man if this is how he felt when working then she understood why he looked so tired.

"Just my idiot captain sir," she answered politely, only to freeze at the mistake the moment she made it.

"Captain?" he repeated, his eyes darkened. Oh good god.

"Yeah, that's what we call him. Really he's just the leader of our small group, we're travellers of the..." she cursed herself for forgetting the name of the ocean they were on, what was it? Something blue... Blue..."The blue sea," she stated, she wasn't lying after all.

The officer looked into her eyes, reading them. He puffed a cloud of smoke and rubbed at his forehead tiredly.

"Can you keep the kid out of trouble, I have enough of a problem with pirates. Don't need dumb kids added to the mix," he asked her, she saluted him and with that he walked off with a trail of smoke following behind him. She shivered when he left, all the tension leaving her. He was bad news for the crew... Better keep an eye on that guy.

Sitting back down on the edge of the fountain she found her gaze staring at the top of the platform. The idea that someone had been executed there was so ancient to her. That was something they did 300 or so years ago during revolutions. Her hands brushed against her neck at the thought of a guillotine snapping down against it.

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise, she was being watched. She tilted her head around in search of the culprit. Yet she couldn't pinpoint who it was. She kept looking around, this time a bit more frantically. Nothing... Maybe it was all in her head? She hoped so.

Tani grabbed her bottle of fizzy and took a few sips to calm her nerves. Luffy had found his way back to the town square. Spotting Tani drinking something Redish-pink from a clear bottle shape. Was that alcohol? Did she see the same old bartender Gramps too?

"Tani!" he called to her. She jerked her head around in a frightful manner, her eyes as wide as plates. Luffy ran to her side, something was up and he wanted to help.

"Oh hey moron, you know that guy from before was a cop right?" she tilted her thumb in the direction the marine had walked away. "You're lucky he didn't think you were a pirate, or he'd have our heads," she complained. Luffy tilted his head as if that didn't register in his brain. Tani groaned, she was on edge. That's all... Just a bit paranoid.

"Well I'm gonna climb to the platform again, wanna join?" he asked with a grin. Tani shook her head, even looking at the height made her dizzy.

"Not a fan of heights, so I'll pass thanks," she giggled lightly. A thought crossed her mind. She dug through her bag and found the camera that magically appeared. "How about I take a photo of you?" she asked happily.

Luffy nodded, climbing up the support beams, onto the platform. Tani held out the camera, Luffy smiled for the picture.

Click!

Tani gave him a thumbs up, the rubber man tilted his head to look over the view. Whispering to himself about seeing the world from the pirate kings final perspective. It was quite the sight! It was like he could see the whole town from here.

"Hey Luffy," a feminine voice called out to the rubber man. Tani looked to her side to find an extremely attractive women, like she was a Victoria secrets model she looked so attractive. "Remember me?~" she asked with a seductive undertone. Tani didn't like that very much, nope not at all.

"Who are you? I've never seen you in my life lady," Luffy shouted back. The women next to Tani grew visibly angry. She swung the huge ass spiked mace in her hand, up onto her shoulder. Barely skimming past Tani's face. Was that... Was that a threat? Well it didn't work because Luffy didn't look fazed at all.

"No seriously I have no idea who you are, can you go away?" he asked with irritation. The women smirked. Her eyes looking past the rubber man, landing on the secret occupant of the platform.

"Well if you want to be the pirate king so bad, why didn't you say so!" an obnoxious voice called from atop the platform. Tani watched in horror as a wooden slab was slammed over Luffy's head and hands. His eyes widened in surprise but he had no fear in them. Tani felt hands grab her, holding her in place to watch the... It was a clown! What nasty sewer did this guy crawl out of?

"Clown guy?" Luffy sounded confused at the appearance of the clown pirate.

"It's captain Buggy you dimwit!" the clown shrieked. Tani wanted to facepalm. Who were these people?

The women with the mace brushed at her hair and waltzed closer to the platform. Luffy struggled to free himself, but much like the concrete slab from Arlong Park, he couldn't free himself. At this point a bunch of marines showed up but didn't do anything.

"Don't forget about me strawhat~" she cooed, Tani scoffed at the women's tone. It just felt gross having some grown ass women being all... Ew towards Luffy. She pulled at the hands holding her back, the goons jerked her back. They were way stronger than she was.

"Still don't know who you are lady!" Luffy commented. The women growled, flicking her hair again. "Who's the most beautiful women on the East Blue?~" she cooed.

"You miss Alvida!" the men in the area choired. She smirked and looked back at Luffy. His eyes widened with realisation.

"Oh Alivda! Wow you're not as fat and ugly as before." he commented, Tani looked at the women then back at Luffy. So he did know her. The last comment he made, royally pissed Alvida off. She lifted her mace and held it above Tani's head. All colour drained from the girls face as the shadow of the massive mace loomed oh so close to her head.

"You little brat! You wouldn't want your little lady friends face to be splattered across ground now would you?~" she threatened with a small giggle. Tani felt sweat drip down her face, keeping her eyes locked onto Luffy's that were staring into hers. She knew things would turn out alright. This was Luffy, he was her captain. He wouldn't let her die.

"Alvida can you be quiet! This is an execution after all!" said Buggy with a maniacal laugh. Unsheathing a massive sword, and raising it above his head.

"Luffy!" the voices of Sanji, Zoro and Tani screamed. Tani faced the two crewmates that had run into the town square. Zoro held three katanas? He must have bought some new ones. Sanji was just Sanji, not that anything was wrong with that.

The boys were quick to run in to the battle zone, throwing kicks and slashes into the pirates as well as the marines that finally got their heads out of their ass and started attacking. Tani slid her hands into her pockets calmly, though her heart beat would tell you that she was anything but calm.

Tani flicked upwards, smacking the men behind her with the yo-yo's that fell back down to earth to bonk them in the head. Both men released her, Tani twisted to smack them again. Both men fell backwards into the fountain behind her. She was quick to start running around, without her skates she was much slower.

The training she'd started with Zoro was surfacing. She'd built up some muscle, she thinks? It's only been a couple days and she was hopeful. She was much better at reacting with dodges and counter attacks, though still pretty slow with the whole lack of skates thing... Man she missed her skates.

A sword slashed down where she was about 0.5 seconds ago. The girl let out a shriek before whipping out a leg and kicking the guy in the crotch. Not the most ladylike of moves but she was in a panic! And it worked like a charm because the bastard was on the ground squirming.

The chaos was intoxicating, many voices mixed into one roar of noise. A dizzy spell of mixing colours and moving limbs made it difficult to concentrate on what the hell was happening.

Tani ended up back to back with someone much taller than her, but the familiar smell of smoke that reeked from the man made it obvious that she was currently back to back with Smoker.

"Kid?" he asked, must have turned his head to spot her. "What are you doing here? Go find somewhere safe to hide," he commanded. Tani laughed nervously.

"Kinda have to save my captain, sir," she said nervously. He must have figured out that she was a pirate at this point. The marine sighed.

"Just don't get in the way," he said with an irritated tone.

A pirate came bolting towards the pair, aiming for Tani. The girl tossed a yo-yo at the larger pirate, but he smacked the plastic orb out of the way and kept charging. Tani pulled the weapon back as fast as she could. Ready to roll out of the way, when a screen of smoke flew up in front of her. She turned to find Smoker's arm was that misty grey again.

Was Smoker made of smoke? Because if he was than 1.) that's the lamest naming system ever! Or 2.) that's a very ironic name to have given a child. Was this a devil fruit thing too? God this was all so weird.

"Oi, kid? Kid," Smoker's gruff voice called out to her. She shook her head to stare at the field around her. The smoke screen was gone, and the pirate that was after her was very much knocked out. She turned to the officer who looked somewhat concerned but was cut off from his train of thoughts when-

Luffy's laughter echoed through the whole town square. Shaking it into silence. All eyes on the young pirate captain.

"Well, I'm sorry guys! But I'm already dead," he grinned, smiling in the face of death. Tears prickled at the corners of Tani's eye. The blade sliced through the air, aiming for the neck of the smiling Luffy.

"NO!" Tani screamed at the top of her lungs. Smoker was on the move, trying to reach the kid before he was killed on the spot.

The clouds darkened, a strong wind blew through the thick curls of the horrified girl. Time seemed to slow the closer the blade got to the jolly captain, mere centimetres from his neck.

A flash of blinding light followed by the crackling boom of thunder struck the platform. The impact of the blow blew everyone in the square back a couple feet. Tani landed back first into the fountain, her body submerged in the water. When she resurfaced and hacked up the water she swallowed, she stared wide eyed at the now obliterated platform... And Luffy's unharmed self. The boy brushed off his vest and walked away without a scratch! He was seconds from dying, yet here he is acting like nothing happened.

Tani's ears stopped ringing from the lightening strike, the sound of conflict surrounded her. She felt like a deer in the headlights. Her focus only coming back to her when Luffy grabbed her waist and slung her over his shoulder.

"Zoro! Sanji! Let's go!" he instructed the fighting pirates, both nodded and bolted for the docks. Luffy laughed the whole time, Tani shook her head and slapped her cheeks. The fresh rain sprinkled upon her face.

Tani watched as a smokey mist began pursuing them. Her eyes widened with realisation. It was Smoker! He was catching up to them fast, Luffy being the closest. She knew she was slowing him down, she'd seen him run around the ship before.

"Luffy let me down, I'm only making you slow." she requested, he ran faster to catch up with Zoro and Sanji. It was like he didn't notice the smoke marine chasing them "I can run," she informed.

Luffy uncoiled the arm holding Tani slowly, easing her into an upright position while still running. He kept an arm around her shoulders until she was running at a reasonable pace. Letting go and running as fast as he could with Tani trailing behind.

"Get back here pirates!" Smoker demanded, his smoke closing in on Tani. The girl let out a squeak as a tendril managed to clasp her ankle. Sending her face first into the cobblestone path under her feet.

The marine man looked like a mix of pissed off and tired. Tani avoided his gaze.

"Let go of Tani!" Luffy roared, he threw a punch at the marine captain. The fist directed to the man's chest ended up phasing through it. A smokey grey surrounded the impact zone. Smoke used the hand that wasn't holding Tani to the ground, to yank Luffy over. The rubber man bounced towards them and landed beside Tani, Smoker placed a foot on Luffy's back.

Smoker was moving to grab a walkie talkie? Radio thingy that policemen have to communicate with each other. The sound of a female voice appeared on the other line.

"Captain Smoker! I let Roronoa get away I'm so sorry sir-"

"Tashigi can you be quiet for a second, I've got some pirates that need to be reported," the older man said into the mic. Tani squirmed under the strong grip of Smoker. Man she really needed to learn how to get out of a hostage situation.

"I don't think that will be needed," a new voice spoke up. The lightening that struck the earth lit up the darkened streets. Revealing the form of a cloaked man, only his Cheshire grin on display. Tani felt an air of power from him. It was almost frightening.

Smoker released his grip from the pair, the shock of this new arrival managed to weaken his resolve. Tani rolled out of his grip, latching a hand onto the collar of Luffy's vest and hoisted him up. Smoker didn't make a move to recapture them.

Tani turned to face the intimidating man.

"Thank you sir," she said while running with Luffy, the rubber man now running on his own two feet with Tani's hand in his.

"So long Smoker!" Tani added. The marine ranted at her but didn't make a move, seemingly intimidated by mystery cloak man.

The two freed pirates ran for the Merry. Tani's mind lingering on who the hell that guy was, and why he felt the need to help two no name pirates... Well Luffy wasn't a no name but you get what she means.

...

Tani and Luffy caught up to Sanji and Zoro, the pair arguing at each other about the situation at hand... Namely that Merry was sailing away.

"You moron! We can't just swim to the Merry," Sanji said angrily, headbutting into Zoro who was just as aggressively headbutting back.

"How else are we gonna get to the boat huh?" Zoro asked with just as much snap. Tani was rubbing at her forehead. Luffy however already had an idea bubbling in his brain.

"Gum gum!" Luffy called, his right arm stretched towards the boat. His left curled like a hook, Zoro's eyes widened with realisation. Sanji grabbed Tani by the waist, the girl looked confusedly at them both.

"Rocket!" Luffy shouted, his body flinging forward. His left arm hooked the three crew members, flying them across the ocean at an incredibly fast speed. Tani hugged Sanji and screamed as the wind whipped her face. The landing was rough, though Sanji softened the blow by using himself as a pillow for the girl.

"Luffy! A warning would be nice!" Zoro complained, smacking the captain over the head. Luffy laughed in response. Usopp and Nami ran out of the steering room to check the deck. Breathing with relief at the sight of their nakama alive on the ship. Sanji held Tani in his arms, checking over her to see if she was hurt at all. She was fine, just a little shaken bit not harmed.

"Luffy you moron! You could've hurt Tani!" Sanji scolded. Luffy waved his hand and apologised. Tani waved her hands in Sanji's face.

"I'm fine I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me," she assured the concerned cook. He still held her in his arms until Zoro called him a "Pervy cook" and the two started bickering. Tani snickered at the two, they were like idiot brothers in her opinion.

Tani had just about had it with today. First she found an inter-dimensional convenience store, then she almost witnessed her captain get his head cut off French revolution style by a clown pirate! And now she was recovering from being launched across the ocean by said captain. Would she ever get used to this world? She knew she had to before they made it to the Grand line. She needed to be a reliable member of the crew, she needed to be useful.

"Everyone! Gather round," Nami called out to the crew, they stood around a lone barrel. She smiled at everyone, "We're on the path to the Grand line, so here. On this day. We are going to vow to follow our dreams," the red head moved to demonstrate.

"I'm going to draw a map of the whole world," Nami stated with pride, lifting her leg and placing it atop the barrel.

"I'm going to become a brave warrior of the sea," Usopp followed, placing his foot next to Nami's.

"I'm going to be the world's greatest swordsman," Zoro said, doing as the others had.

"I'm going to find the All Blue," Sanji joined. His foot set next to Zoro's.

"I'm going to be the king of the pirates!" Luffy declared, his foot proudly displayed atop the barrel.

The crew looked at Tani with waiting eyes, she stared at them in thought. What was her dream? She didn't really have one like the others do... So maybe-

"I'm going to learn why the universe sent me to this world," she decided, lifting her foot and placing it beside Luffy's.

Nami lifted her leg up into the air, the crew followed in suit.

"Too fulfilling our dreams!" the crew cheered, bringing their legs down and obliterating the unfortunate barrel. The crew laughed and celebrated the beginning of their next adventure.

...

The storm had cleared, now revealing the night sky. Tani was having a hard time sleeping, her mind raced with all the questions she couldn't answer, and the stress of the day as a whole. The others were enjoying themselves with a party, a common trend now that she thought about it. Maybe if she celebrated with people more, she would have friends.

She shook her head at herself, these people were her friends! Or nakama as Luffy would say. It still felt weird being called something so special. She wanted to accept it, she really did but it just felt like she wasn't worthy of such a status. Her own insecurities would be her down fall if she kept being so negative. She took a deep breath to clear her head.

"You're missing out on the party!" a cheery voice called from the now open door of the kitchen, Luffy half hanging out the door. Tani looked at him with a solemn smile.

"Be right there, just needed a breather," she waved him off, but the pout on the boys face showed he wasn't buying it. He stomped to her side and sat beside her. "I'm fine, honest," she assured him. Luffy crossed his arms and pouted even harder. Tani sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"Look... I nearly watched you get killed today, and need some time alone to process that." she explained, he dropped the pout and gave her a blank expression. She wanted to hug him, just to reconfirm to herself that he was still alive even if she knew he was. So she did just that. Her arms wrapped around his upper torso, she pressed herself against him. His heart was beating, his lungs were breathing. He was as alive as could be. "I'm just glad you didn't die," she whispered quietly. Luffy snickered, hugging her back to further assure her that he wasn't dead.

"You seem to like giving hugs a lot," Luffy observed aloud, Tani tensed and let go. Her cheeks a shade of pink darker, but the night concealed it. She slapped at her cheeks.

"Oh uh yea haha, guess it's just a comfort thing? I've always been a clingy person," she explained. Luffy snickered, hugging tighter.

"If it means you'll feel better, I'll always be there for you to hug," he promised, Tani felt her heart skip a beat. Her arms looped back around Luffy, her head rested on his shoulder.

"Thanks," she mumbled into his shoulder, she felt better already. Luffy just gave really good hugs, not to loose but not too tight. It was comfortable and safe, two things that this world seemed to lack. "You're the best," she whispered. She pulled away, rubbing at her eyes.

"How about we go rejoin the party?" she smiled, Luffy nodded. His arm around her shoulder, the pair entered the dining room to rejoin the crew. Everyone spent the rest of the night being happy in one another company. Not caring about the harsh world awaiting them.


	8. Chapter 8

The crew woke up pretty early that morning, mainly to clean up after the party and rain storm from the day before. Tani decided to mop the deck, using her skates to get it done faster. She had much better control of her skates in this world than she did back home. It's pretty weird, plus it's the same with battle and movement. Physics as she had once known it was pretty much out the window. Not that she was complaining, it made moving way less sluggish than back home.

Tani had her headphones on, blasting music as she zoomed around the deck. The song playing happened to be a particularly funky one, encompassing her generation perfectly. Her movements flowing with the beat of the song. She almost resisted the urge to sing along... But when the song is

"Wake me up before you go-go" she sang, twirling with the mop in her hands flying around like a baton. "Don't leave me hangin on like a yo-yo!" the lyrics embedded in her memories from all the solo performances she had done into her hair brush and wooden spoons.

"Wake me up before you go-go! Cause I ain't planning on goin solo!" she sang louder. Locked in her own little world, she continued skating around like the deck was her stage. Kicking off walls and jumping over the stairs. The mop acted as her mic, her fingers clicked with the beat.

"Wake me up before you go-go! Take me dancing tonight!" she finished, holding the word tonight for as long as she could. When the song ended, she returned to her senses... And found Luffy and Usopp staring at her wide eyed. Her face burst into a fiery red, she proceeded to shuffle away from them. Breaking into a sprint towards the girls cabin.

"Usopp! Did you see that!? She can sing, maybe she's a musician!" Luffy exclaimed with excitement. Usopp disagreed, she was way too flustered after they caught her singing whatever it was she was singing.

"I don't think so, maybe she was singing along with whatever that device was playing." Usopp thought aloud, his hand rubbing his chin in thought. Luffy looked confused, he thought that the things on her ears were ear muffs to make her warmer. Now that he thought about it, they did have a string attached to something that she always has in her pocket.

"We should ask her about it," Luffy decided. Running in the same direction that she had run. Usopp ran to follow, but his foot got stuck in the bucket of soapy water that Tani left out for mopping. Luffy called Tani's name as he ran around the ship, Tani squeaked and ran away from where the voice called from. How could she talk to her captain with a straight face after he watched her sing like a banshee on the deck!? She couldn't that's what!

Luffy was confused, why was she running away? He just wanted to ask her about the singing. It wasn't bad, and he'd never heard that song before. He needed a musician for his crew anyway. Maybe she could play an instrument too! Luffy excited himself more and more with every second.

Tani found the girls cabin, bursting through the door and slamming it closed. Which was probably a dumb idea but she was too embarrassed to think about it. Pressing her back against the door, she held her Walkman in hand and felt her cheeks heat up more. The clapping of Luffy's sandals caused the girl to clap her hands over her mouth to quiet her breathing, like she was in a horror movie.

"Tani! Tani where are you?! Are you a musician? Can you play an instrument? Where are you?" he yelled through the halls.

"Can you shut up! I'm trying to relax!" Nami shouted at Luffy, who went quiet for about two seconds before shouting for Tani to reveal herself. The girl wanted to crawl into a hole and sleep there for eternity. She slapped at her cheeks to calm herself down a bit... Big mistake.

The door she was leaning on burst open, pressing her into the wall behind said door. Maybe if Luffy was an idiot he wouldn't notice her. He walking into the room, not checking behind the door. Tani held her breath and slowly, very slowly... Very very slowly shuffled around the door without drawing attention to herself while Luffy looked around the room.

"Tani! Stop hiding..." Luffy pouted with his face pressed on the floor, looking under Tani's bed. Tani passed the door frame into the hallway, taking a breath of relief. Luffy spun his head to face her.

Shit!

She made a break for it but didn't get far as the rubber man's arms tangled around her waist and pulled her back into the room. She struggled in his grasp, but like a snake his arms coiled around her tighter.

"Found you," he sounded happy with himself. Tani's arms were trapped so she couldn't pull herself out of his hold. "Are you a musician? Can you play an instrument?" he repeated his questions from before. The girl sighed, her head slumped forward.

"I'm not a musician, and I can't play an instrument, why you asking?" she answered. Luffy seemed disappointed.

"A pirate crew isn't complete without a musician. I can't be the pirate king without a musician," he explained, his hold on Tani remained, "And you were singing, so I thought you might be a musician," he reasoned. Tani felt like exploding, could she just combust right then and there?

"Sorry to disappoint... Can you let go now? You're choking me," she asked breathlessly with a cough. Luffy blanked out for a moment, loosening his hold on her. She dropped to her knees and took in a huge gulp of air. The girl then stood up and walked towards the door. "Uh... Can you just pretend that never happened... Like the whole me singing thing?"

"Why? You were great! And pirates are meant to sing," Luffy answered, Tani blinked in thought. That was a thing, hell she sang a few pirate shanties when playing pirates with those boys back home. Oh... Luffy must have thought she was being ridiculous.

Luffy went to speak again, but the sound of Nami screaming pulled both of their attentions to Nami. The pair ran outside to find the sails completely slacked, even the waves had stopped. The boat wasn't moving at all.

"We entered the calm belt!" Nami panicked, grabbing her hair and pulling at it in stress. Everyone gathered around her. "How did I not see this coming?" the navigator said with defeat.

"What's that?" Tani asked. Nami turned to everyone with fear in her eyes.

"It's the two strips of ocean that surround the Grand line, it has no wind, no waves. If you get stuck in it, you're as good as dead!" she roared with frustration. The crew flinched at her rant. "It's also full of Seakings!" she added. Usopp paled, his legs shaking.

"Se-sea-Seakings!" he stuttered, hiding behind Zoro who was just standing around without a care in the world.

"Does the boat have any other ways to get itself moving? Like I understand not having a motor or whatever they use to make metal boats move, but wouldn't there be some way to move?" Tani questioned, after all if this calm belt was a potential threat then why wouldn't the plan have thought ahead? Then again they might not have thought about getting stuck in something like this.

"You have boats made of metal? That's awesome!" Luffy cheered, his focuses not on the problem at hand apparently. Nami pushed Luffy out of Tani's face.

"The wind is all we have, we're stuck in this pirate graveyard," Nami said with a defeated attitude. Tani leaned against the railing of the boat.

"Idiot, the marine boats are made of metal," Usopp mocked Luffy. It would have been more effective if he wasn't pissing himself with fear.

"can we just push the boat? Like swim it to safety?" Tani asked.

"And risk getting eaten by a Seaking? No thanks," Usopp responded. Zoro looked down in thought, was he actually considering that idea?

The boat rocked back and forth, waves generated underneath the lone vessel. Tani lost her balance and fell overboard, her hand catching the railing. She dangled helplessly over the boat, staring into the jet black eye of a massive monster. Her screams could have been heard from the heavens, she'd seen Jaws before but that shark was nothing compared to this beast. It's eye was larger than she was, the pupil focused on her small form. She was frozen with a mix of fear and fascination.

The creatures eyes watered, the bottom lid shakily closed up. The boat jumped around like a kid on a bouncy castle. The jerking and tossing made it much harder for Tani to keep her hold on the rail, her other hand flying up to grab the rail for extra support. She stared up at the boat, too low to see what was happening on deck.

"Where's Tani?!" Luffy called in a panic.

"Over here!" she called back with just as much panic. A pair of strong hands grabbed her wrists and threw her back onto the deck. The girl looked up to find Zoro beside her. She silently thanked the swordsman, she owed him something now. For now! Maybe it would be a good idea to hold onto something while the boat keeps shaking.

Tani laced her arms around the railing, only this time she wasn't dangling overboard like a helpless idiot. The boat bounced higher and higher until... The monster sneezed? The boat flew through the air, skipping along the ocean like a skipping stone.

Usopp went flying off the boat, saved by the rubber noodle that is Luffy's arm. When the ship stopped flying through the air, the Usopp kite came crashing head first into the winded Tani. Sending them both over the railing into the ocean below. The pair resurfaced spitting and sputtering the salty water from their lungs.

"I'm about ready to whoop the oceans ass right about now," Tani coughed as she climbed the rope ladder onto the deck. "It's like the universe wants me to fall off the boat and drown, well not today you good for nothing-" she rambled, being cut off by Nami.

"We're out of the calm belt, which means we're close to Reverse mountain." she informed. Tani wasn't paying much attention, squeezing the water out of her hair. Nami had stated that many times now, it's like she believes they'll forget it.

A towel was draped over the wet girl's shoulders, Sanji stood beside her with that dumb face he sometimes has around women. Tani loved the guy, but he sometimes has the dumbest faces when interacting with women. Tani gave him a thankful smile, and the guy spun on his heels like a ballerina spouting just how cute and lovely she was.

"Wait is that it?" Usopp pointed towards a large mountain looming in the distance. Nami turned to face the direction he was pointing. Her face lit up.

"That's it! Head that way," she commanded. Tani decided she wanted to get changed into something dry. Making her way into her room to switch into a new shirt and shorts. Her jacket was soaked, and denim takes forever to dry! She grumbled. Grabbing her windbreaker instead, the clothes she got from Lougetown weren't enough.

Leaving in her fresh attire, Tani looked up at the huge mountain the boat was sailing towards. The water flow was crazy! Flowing up like a water ride from some theme park. A giddy feeling mixed with the worry that they were going up a mountain. Luffy looked just as excited, if not a bit more so.

The closer they got, the harsher the waves grew. Tossing the boat left and right violently, it was difficult for Nami to get a clear view of where the boat needed to be for them to pass the gate safely. They made it to the gate, but a wave slammed into the side of the boat, pushing it towards the rocky cliff side. The rudder snapping in the process.

"We're gonna die!" Usopp and Nami screamed at the same time, holding onto each other in tears. Luffy ran to the side of the boat that was about to collide with the mountain. Jumping over the railing.

"Gum Gum Balloon!" he shouted, and as expected with a move called gum gum balloon, Luffy's body inflated.

Tani stared wide eyed at him, he looked hilarious and the move worked. His body bounced the ship back onto course. Tani ran over to grab him before he fell in the water, her hands clasped around the closest limb to her. Whipping him back onto the boat with a thud. The pair laid on the ground, laughing at the wildness of the situation.

"You can inflate like a balloon? that's so weird man," Tani laughed, Luffy held a hand out to her and pulled her onto her feet. Luffy ran over to and climbed onto his favourite spot on the ship, cheering excitedly as the ship flowed higher and higher up the mountain.

The whole crew was in a good mood. This was a pretty big moment for the rag tag gang. The Grand line was the key to achieving their dreams. They all looked ready to take on and conquer this beast of an ocean together.

"I see the top!" Luffy cheered, everyone rushed to where Luffy was perched. Tani pulled her camera out of her bag and waited for just the right moment to take a picture. Positioning herself so the whole crew was in the frame.

Click!

She snapped the shot, the ship hit the top of the mountain. It was a breathtaking view. Tani felt as if she was on the top of the world.

Then the ship started making its way down the mountain...

Imagine riding a rollercoaster ride without the safety bars and seat belts. It was thrilling and terrifying at the same time. The water sprayed in their faces, Tani let out a loud cry of mixed emotions.

"Hold on! What that large thing in front of the opening?!" Usopp pointed out, his goggles pulled over to prevent the water spray from hitting his eyes. Everyone stared in horror at the blackish blue wall standing before their path. There was no way they could slow down to avoid it, and they couldn't turn because of the rudder being destroyed. Luffy hadn't moved from his spot on Merry's head, so as the ship sped towards the wall Tani jumped up and hooked her arms around his waist and pulled him backwards. He landed atop her with all his weight, knocking the air out of the girl underneath.

The front of the boat slammed into the wall, throwing everyone forward. The masthead flew onto the deck, almost crushing Usopp. The flow of water from the mountain pushed the boat around the huge wall blocking the way. The ship managed to survive, as did the crew upon it... Barely.

Luffy pushed himself off Tani, stomping his feet towards the side of the ship. Sanji ran over to Tani's aid, helping her stand up while looking over her as he always did if she had any potential injuries.

"Stupid wall! You destroyed my seat!" Luffy ranted, stomping his feet and punching the air in a childish tantrum... Then the wall opened its eye... It's huge eye! Tani felt like she was going to pass out at this point, she was so sick of huge sea monsters! Slumping into Sanji's arms, earning a string of compliments and coos from the lovesick cook.

"Gum Gum!" Luffy wound up his arm, Tani jumped out of Sanji's arms to stop Luffy. Her hands skimmed over his shoulders, "Pistol!" he shouts, slamming his fist into the exposed eye of the sea monster.

Tani collided into Luffy's back, both of them falling to the floor once again. Tani was surprised she didn't have a concussion at this point with all this head smacking.

"What have you done, you idiot!" Tani shouted at Luffy while rolling off him. The straw hat captain looked pissed off, his eyes scared the ever loving daylights out of her.

The pair didn't have time to argue, as the low rumbling of the creature rippled through the water. The boat pulled with the newly formed current, a crack in the monster opened... Oh shit!

"That's a mouth!" Tani cried, the boat pulled past a row of sharp teeth. Usopp attached himself to Zoro's body in a panicked state, Zoro attempted to pull the cowardly sniper off but he was just too strong. Sanji pulled Tani and Nami towards himself to "protect them"... From what? The huge ass whale eating them right now? She didn't say anything, she was still annoyed with Luffy's reckless action.

Speaking of of Luffy, where the hell was-

Tani turned to find Luffy had sling shot himself onto one of the whales teeth. Shouting at the beast to stop, which it didn't. Instead it started slowly closing it's mouth. Luffy flung himself out of the mouth, onto the top of the whale to fight it. Tani held onto Sanji and Nami for comfort, the trio clinging to each other. Sanji felt himself thanking the heavens for this gift. If he died right there and now, he wouldn't be too upset.

The light from outside disappeared. The boat flowed through the darkness, Tani clung tighter to Sanji and Nami. Zoro and Usopp managed to move closer to the trio, grouping together for security.

"I.. I see a light!" Usopp cried, everyone strained their eyes to look at the light at the end of the tunnel. The light blinded them for a moment, their eyes adjusted to the change in lighting to find a wide space of green water, blue painted skyies and a single island floating in the middle of it, complete with a palm tree and house.

The boat sailed closer to the island, the water was calm and smelled strongly of acid... Merry is made of wood...

The water bubbled underneath them, Zoro had pushed Usopp out of his space, ready to fight whatever was going to pop out and attack them.

A massive squid burst through the water, splashing green acid all over the group. It didn't burn though. Sanji gently let go of Tani and Nami to stand beside Zoro, already getting ready to kick the beast.

The pair were ready to fight, when a harpoon shot straight through the squids head. A shiver ran down Tani's spine. The squid was slowly pulled back towards the island. An oldish man stood outside the door of the little house, said man walked over to a deck chair and sat on it as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Zoro took charge of the situation, as he should since Tani was certain he was the first mate.

"Oi! Old man, how do we get outta here?" Zoro shouted from the boat. The old man remained silent for a moment, probably for dramatic effect. The tension building, old man against a group of teenagers.

"The door over there," he pointed at the huge ass door way to the left of the crew... How did they not see it?!

"Well can you open it?" Zoro asked, the man paused again. Just as dramatic as the last time. His stare deep into the crews. Sanji started huffing-

"Yeah sure," he replied, standing from his chair and sailing his little island to a ladder that was next to the huge door. The crew sighed with relief as they sailed closer to the exit. However the whole place started shaking violently, Tani could feel her breakfast crawling up her throat from all this tossing around. The man looked distressed, talking to himself but not loud enough for the crew to hear.

The man ran through the small door connected to the platform he was standing on. Leaving the Strawhats (minus one) to fend for themselves in the green sea... Speaking of that missing straw hat...

"The next time I see Luffy, I'm gonna strangle his stupid neck!" Tani declared, getting smacked into Nami and rolling along the deck like the sack of potatoes she was! Because the Grand line hated her for some reason!

As if the lords above had heard her declaration, Luffy came flying out of the door near the platform, plus two others randoms. Luffy launched his arm towards the ship, grabbing it.

"Gum Gum Rocket!" he called, flying towards the boat. Everybody cleared the way so he wouldn't hit anyone. He skidded across the deck with a pleased smile.

Thwack!

Luffy found himself face first into the ground, a foot placed on his head to keep him from getting up.

"You're an idiot!"

*thwack*

"A total moron!"

*thwack*

"A spazz!"

*thwack*

"Why would you even think "oh wow wouldn't it be a brilliant idea to oh I dunno, punch a giant ass eye!" you bloody!-" she ranted, being pulled away by Zoro, who tossed the kicking and screaming girl over his shoulder. Effectively restraining her.

The whole crew shut up, watching Luffy's reaction. He pushed himself off the ground, his hat shadowed his eyes. He shook... With laughter? He burst into laughter.

"Sorry everyone," he apologised, Tani groaned. What a half-arsed apology! She didn't think she could look at Luffy for the rest of the day without wanting to go for a round two on whooping his ass. Everyone's attention was on their idiot captain, so they didn't pay much attention to the two stowaways boarding the ship.

The man from before walked back out of the door looking tired. His eyes spotting the two extras on the boat, as he went to speak the pair started laughing and whipped out some bazookas because why the hell not! Where did they pull them from? Who knows!

"Hohoho you fools! This whale belongs to us now!" the female of the duo claimed.

"Now scram or we'll blow you all to smithereens," the male counterpart declared. Their bazookas aimed for the roof of the whales stomach. Both of them fired a round. The whistle of the shot echoed around the cavern that was the belly of the beast.

The old man wasted no time jumping in front of the two shots and taking both right to the chest. He was tossed backwards, smacking into the wall behind him. He landed with a slump onto the metal platform that was next to the exit door.

The crew stared wide eyed at the old man, then towards the armed pair. The stowaways looked perplexed by the turn of events.

"Uh... Well that's awkward," the man said while looking at the girl. She was floundering around, her blue ponytail bounced with every move she made.

Tani moved to her pockets to grab her yo-yo's, only to realize they were in her other jacket. The Duo were pointing their weapons at the whales insides again. Tani was ready to jump into action-

*bonk*

Nami to the rescue! She slammed their heads together. Knocking them out. The navigator dusted her hands off with a clap, turning to face the old man who was looking as fine as ever.

"Mind opening the exit for us?" she said sweetly. He gave her a hearty laugh, pulled the switch and opened the door for the Merry to sail through.

...

"So you see, Laboon has been waiting for 50 years, in the hopes that the crew will return." Crocus explained. The crew listened to the heartbreaking tale, feeling pity towards the whale who so desperately wanted to reunite with his friends.

The crew sailed towards a small island spot that housed a light house, the crew needed to gather their bearings and think about where head next.

"So what'll we do about these stowaways?" Usopp asked, only to watch Luffy lift them up and toss them overboard. Dusting his hands off while walking to stand beside Zoro, who still had Tani dangling from his shoulder.

Luffy smiled at the girl, who returned his friendly gesture with a glare and huff. Luffy poked at her cheek, Tani pulled her face away as far as she could. Unfortunately for her, Luffy being made of rubber made it impossible to evade him for long. Zoro wasn't really helping either, not moving or letting the struggling girl go.

The boat docked by the lighthouse at the entrance of the Grand line. The Straw hats disembarked from the Merry with sighs of relief.

Sanji made an annoyed huff at Zoro.

"Stop manhandling our dearly beloved Tani you brute," Sanji growled. The swordsman gave Sanji a side glare.

"Like you can talk. At least my arms aren't skinny sticks that would drop her after 5 seconds," Zoro teased. Sanji narrowed his eyes and stomped a foot closer to the green haired brute.

"Excuse me you neanderthal, at least I know how to handle a lady like she's not a sack of flour!" Sanji snapped. Tani held her head in her hands. This was so stupid... Why are they so stupid...

"If you want her, take her," Zoro said, before Tani could register his words, she was already tossed towards the blonde. Sanji gasped and held his hands out to catch her but-

"I got it!" Luffy cheered, rushing between the two eldest crew members to catch Tani in the air. Instinctively she looped her arms around his neck, to stop herself from being dropped... Then she remembered who it was that caught her.

"Let me go!" she almost shrieked. Unlooping her hands and pushing on Luffy's chest. She pushed herself out of his hold and flopped onto the ground awkwardly.

The four of them started shouting at each other, Nami and Usopp looking between the group of arguing children with tired (Usopp) or annoyed (Nami) expressions.

"Rowdy bunch of youths aren't you brats?" Crocus chuckled beside the two on lookers. Nami rubbed her temple.

"More like a total pain in the ass these lot," she groaned. Turning to Usopp with an appreciative smile, "At least you're not a complete moron," she complimented. The long nosed man found himself sheepishly rubbing at his neck.

"Hey old man," Luffy called out, now ignoring Tani and her ranting. The capped girl crossed her arms, very clearly annoyed. Crocus looked over at Luffy, not at all offended by the title. "What happened to Laboon's crew?" he asked. Crocus crossed his arms with a sigh.

"I'd heard rumours that the crew had left the Grand line," the elder replied. Tani looked over at Laboon with sympathy.

He's been wanting for 50 years... And those cowards left him behind? At least come back for the poor whale. If they'd all died than she would understand, but if any of that crew was still alive-

"Laboon didn't take the news well, everyday he smashes his head into the Red line. Trying to break it so he can reunite with his crew," Crocus said with a heavy heart. The story left the crew silent. All of them giving Laboon their sympathetic glances and silent apologies.

Luffy was the first to make a move. The sound of his sandals clapping along the rocky ground, transitioning to wooden deck. What was he doing?

The captain faced the mast of the Merry, his hands looped around it and he ripped it off the boat in one quick jerk.

Everyone in the crew screamed at him! But he ignored them in turn for running over to Laboon and slamming the mast into one of the fresh wounds that adorned the whales head.

The crew screamed even more! Watching as Luffy and Lagoon started exchanging blows with one another.

Tani was really starting to question her decision to stay with this crew. Luffy was a nutcase of the highest caliber. Sure he was her friend? Even that was being questioned with all the selfish actions he'd taken at the expense of almost killing the whole crew before they'd even had the chance to start their adventure into the Grand line!

Luffy stopped throwing punches, landing in front of Laboon with a big grin. The whale stopped to stare at the small boy.

"You're pretty strong," Luffy laughed brightly, "We should fight again someday." Luffy proposed. The whale blinked with a shimmer in his eyes.

"From this day forward, you're my rival!" Luffy declared. Laboon let out a deep trill noise that vibrated through the whole mountain. Pure joy present in the massive creatures demeanor. Luffy was quick to jump up and run towards the ship, calling out something about paint.

Tani and Usopp stared at the long forgotten mast that Luffy tossed to the ground carelessly.

"How are we going to fix this?" Tani questioned. Usopp let out a sigh.

"I can fix it... I think? But I'll need someone to hold it in place so I can make the repairs." he said with a tired look. Everyone was done with Luffy's shenanigans today.

"Wha-" Nami made a noise of confusion. Her fingers tapping on the compass she had in her hand. The Tani and Usopp looked over at it to find the metal pointer was spinning around in quick circles. "It was working just fine this morning," she said with confusion.

"That's a regular compass yes?" Crocus asked. Nami nodded. The old man laughed.

"There's you're first mistake kid," he chuckled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a compass of his own, only this one wasn't speaking out. "How much research did you kids do before making the journey here?" Crocus asked.

"Not much, I only know that there's a lot of strange weather patterns that occur at random and that's all." Nami replied. The older man started to explain.

"Well I order to get around on the Grand line, you'll need a log pose." he informed. Tani tuned out the conversation, this was more Nami's thing anyway. Honestly Tani just wanted a break from here.

She noticed that Luffy was finished with the paint buckets that he'd pulled from the storage room. A crudely painted Jolly Roger adorned the whales head. Luffy was distracted with his speech to Laboon that Tani snuck over and grabbed the paint cans. If Luffy had no reason to return them, then she could hide out in the storage room for a bit. She didn't want to deal with anybody right now.

Tani waltzed passed an arguing Zoro and Sanji, still at it about who knows what at this point. Usopp was drawing up plans for the fix to Merry. Nami was still listening to Crocus about log poses. Tani wasn't needed right now.

She walked into the storage room and closed the door. She was tempted to prop a chair under the handle but decided not to, just in case she needed a quick out. Tani found a crate that looked comfortable enough, sat down and pulled out her Walkman. Head phones on, she pressed play and slowly started to drift to sleep.

...

Tani didn't know how long she sat in that storage room, when she woke up it was night time. Her neck ached from being propped up awkwardly while she napped atop the crate she sat on.

Hours must have passed, as she looked out the window and saw nothing up blue oceans and darkened skies. Did she skip dinner too? Her stomach grumbled angrily at her... She must have.

Sanji would have saved her something right? He's the kind of guy who would do that for a woman. She made her way to the kitchen, hoping to find a meal for her. She tread lightly on the wooden boards so she didn't wake anyone up. The dark obscured her vision, her hands held out to feel her surroundings.

"Oof," Tani and the other person she bumped into said at the same time, Tani almost fell onto her butt but was caught by...Luffy.

Of course he'd head to the kitchen to raid it while the others are asleep. Then again she did remember Sanji complaining about food going missing. Wait she had more pressing matter to attend to! Mainly the man pressing his hands into her.

Tani pushed off the rubber captain. Walking past him to head to her goal, which was to eat a meal to quell the beast in her stomach. A hand clasped hers, pulling her back towards the captain.

"Luffy, for the last time. Can you please leave me alone!" she whisper shouted. The annoyance was present in her expression. Luffy looked almost pissed off, but not murderous intent pissed. It was more like a defiant "you can't tell me what to do" look.

"Not until you stop being mad at me," he replied. Tani pulled her hand away, but his arm stretched with her. She sighed.

"Look, not a good day today. I've been tossed around, thrown overboard many times, swallowed by a whale like I was Pinocchio! And you've just acted out like an idiot all day," she ranted, Luffy remained silent as she complained, "It's like you don't think before you act, it's reckless and makes me feel worried that we might all die." she said angrily, Luffy looked at her with eyes she couldn't describe. She continued, the anger in her voice making way for concern.

"I've got someone waiting for me at home. Someone who's really important to me." she felt herself shaking with such a quiet tone.

Luffy tugged her hand gently, the girl followed. His free hand rubbed circles on her back, it was relaxing. For someone wanting to stay mad at the idiot captain, she sure was doing a bad job. His face was bright and comforting. How did he have such an effect over her? And why did they always have moments like this at night? What kind of cliche was this?

Grumble...

Tani pulled away, her hands grabbing her stomach in embarrassment. Luffy laughed at her, but the laugh was too contagious and she joined in too.

"Let's go raid the kitchen," Luffy suggested, Tani nodded in agreement. The pair walking towards the kitchen with food in their minds.


	9. Chapter 9

Sanji found the pair in the kitchen after Luffy set off a giant mouse trap, trapping the rubber man underneath. Tani fell back in shock, smacking her head into a wall which held the shelves with the pots and pans. A pot fell and got stuck on her head, blinded and confused she ran into a bunch of walls before tripping over Luffy.

"Luffy how many times do I have to... Tani! Oh my darling what happened?" Sanji said, pulling the pot off the girls head and smothering her. Completely ignoring the struggling Luffy.

"We were just grabbing something to eat, but Luffy got trapped in a... Where did you even get that?" Tani motioned towards the mouse trap.

"Oh, Nami and I bought one in Lougetown after you left," he answered, throwing a look at Luffy's struggling self, "Luffy always raids the pantry at night," Sanji answered, offering Tani a sweeter smile. Luffy snickered, earning him a foot to the face.

"More importantly, Tani if you're hungry just come wake me up. I'd be happy to cook for you." he cooed, but the thought was there. Her stomach growled much to her embarrassment.

Sanji got straight to work, making something quick but worthy of the girls taste buds. Tani took to freeing Luffy from the mouse trap, she felt lucky that it wasn't her getting snapped by the trap. A phantom pain danced up her spine, shivering at the thought.

"Alright on three, ready? One... Two... Three," Tani pulled Luffy, the trap undid and he went flying like an elastic band. Crashing into the same wall Tani did, a pot fell and got stuck on his head too. Tani burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. Luffy tried to pull it off but his neck stretched with it. She grabbed the pot and pulled with him, their laughter filled the room. Sanji smiled softly to himself at the pleasant sound.

The cook began plating a small stack of pancakes for the girl, and a plate of all the muck ups for Luffy (maybe he'll stop raiding the fridge). Topping off Tani's plate with a fruity syrup, cream and cut strawberries. What could be more romantic than that? He turned to serve the pair, only to see that they were still trying to pull the pot off Luffy's head. Tani looked as adorable as always, with her hair puffing like a chocolate cloud and her bright clothes reflecting her colourful personality.

As that thought left the cooks mind, Tani went flying with a large pot in her hands. Landing across the room on her behind, that dazzling smile still gracing her face. She was just the most precious-

"Sanji, gimme the plate," Luffy interrupted Sanji's thoughts, grabbing one of the plates and shovelling the contents into his mouth. Sanji growled at him for being so rude. Only to find that Luffy grabbed the plate meant for Tani. Sanji's foot collided with Luffy's chubby cheeks, repeatedly.

"That. Was. Not. For. You. You. Idiot!" each word followed by a kick to the captain's face. Tani got up and grabbed the other plate from Sanji's hand. Her eyes glittering at the sight of it, a tower of pancakes drowning in whipped cream and syrup. Her mouth watered just looking at it.

She ignored Sanji kicking Luffy to death in the corner and proceeded to take a bite of the pancake stack. Her taste buds exploded at the taste, no pancake parlour could ever compare to the taste.

"Sanji this is amazing!" she praised, the cook stopped kicking Luffy and ran to her side to fawn and dote on how cute she was. Luffy dizzily pushed himself off the ground, homing in on the plate of pancakes in front of Tani. His hands shaking towards the plate, but Sanji wasn't having it. Grabbing the boys arms and tying them into a knot. Tani continued eating happily (giving Luffy her leftovers).

Tani thanked Sanji for the meal. Deciding it was time for bed, she walked out of the kitchen and back towards her room, hopefully she doesn't wake Nami.

Luffy caught her shoulder as she left the kitchen, grabbing the girls attention.

"I'm bored, wanna go fishing?" he asked... He couldn't be serious right? It was the middle of the night, how would they even see the fish?

"Shouldn't you be, oh I dunno. Sleeping?" Tani replied playfully. Luffy caught onto this playful tone, happy she wasn't mad at him anymore.

"But I'm not tired," he stated playfully back. Tani rolled her eyes, walking to their fishing spot and sitting down. Luffy sat himself down beside her, a fishing rod in his hands. "Wanna share it again? That was fun last time," he asked.

Tani shook her head, her motor skills at the moment would probably result in them losing the fish and drowning at the dead of night. The captain cast his line, waiting for a fish to bite.

The pair sat in a comfortable silence. Tani thought about the days events, if that's what it was like being on the Grand line everyday... She might as well sign off her soul to the underworld because she wouldn't survive. The girl sighed, unconsciously leaning on Luffy's side. The boy wasn't bothered, he leaned closer to her for comfort. It was calm, quiet, and peaceful all around.

Before Tani knew it, morning had rolled around. She was sleeping on the deck, an arm and a leg sprawled out atop her. Turning her head she found Luffy sleeping with his limbs fanned out like a starfish. Softly brushing his arm off her chest, she sat up and turned to wake Luffy. Who woke up with a snort, a bubble of snot bursting which was gross but whatever. His eyes were droopy, widening at the sight of Tani.

"Morning you goof," Tani yawned with a smile, stretching her arms to hear that satisfying pop of her bones.

"Morning Tani," he grinned back, bouncing to his feet with a burst of energy. Tani wobbled to her feet, she really needed to take a proper nap in a bed or something.

"Rise and shine!" Nami called out. Stomping on the latch door leading to bellow deck, where the boys slept. Zoro burst through the door tiredly, hauling himself out and making his way straight to the back of the ship to train. Usopp and Sanji hopped out as well, just not as dramatic as Zoro. Sanji went straight to complimenting Nami (who ignored him). Thus the morning was just a regular one.

Tani stretched some more, considering the idea of training with Zoro to get stronger, today wasn't one of the days she normally trains with the man but she could always do with more muscle building. She decided to follow the swordsman, who was already doing push-ups.

"Need any help?" she asked, Zoro glanced at her before returning to his push-ups. "I could really use some more combat training since we've hit the Grand line and I don't wanna die," she laughed nervously. The swordsman continued to do what he was doing.

"Not today, I've got some solo stuff I'm doing," he answered, Tani looked at the ground with disappointment. "But Luffy looks like he wants to help," Zoro pointed behind Tani (while still doing his push-ups), the girl turned around to find Luffy peaking from behind a corner. "Luffy! Can you help Tani not suck at fighting?" Zoro asked with a smirk, Tani glared at the swordsman.

"Sure!" Luffy smiled, looping an arm through hers and dragging her away from the smirking swordsman.

"Have you ever trained someone before?" she asked with concern, Luffy shook his head. Oh boy.

"We can just spar, I used to do that all the time back home," he said. While that should be comforting, Tani has long since come to the conclusion that she's not built the same way as those born of this world. Which calls into question whether or not Luffy has come to the same conclusion.

Does Luffy know how to hold back? She'd seen him destroy a multistory building with just his leg for Pete's sake. The bruise from the one time he accidentally sent her flying took ages to heal. Luffy saw the worry on her face.

"I won't hit hard," he assured. Tani was still worried, but what better way to get stronger than fighting with the strongest member of the crew.

"Alright, but if I die I'm gonna haunt you so bad the ghost busters won't be able to take me out," she threatened, Luffy had no idea what she meant but laughed anyway. "Oh I don't have my gear, should I just... Not use it?" she thought aloud. Luffy shrugged.

"I mean, I haven't done much hand to hand stuff so maybe we can try that?" she pondered aloud. Luffy took that as an all clear.

Luffy jumped into action, winding up his arm to launch a punch. Tani looked back at him and squeaked as he "Gum Gum Pistoled" towards her ribs, she ducked before he hit her.

"Wait a second! I wasn't ready!" she complained. Luffy snickered, retracting his arm and winding it up for a second hit. Tani came to the realization that Luffy was a pro at hand to hand, was at least 50% stronger than her, and now she really was regretting her decision-

" Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy fired his fist again, Tani attempted to dodge but Luffy curved and landed a blow on her right shoulder. It was way softer than the last time he hit her. Tani rolled on the ground, rubbing at her shoulder. Luffy charged towards her, the girl rolled onto her back and jumped back to her feet. Luffy loomed by her side, his hands balled into fists.

Instinct kicked in, each punch Luffy sent her way was barely dodged. However the girl was unable to return any shots, he was way too quick and she was already growing tired. She did note one thing though, Luffy hardly aimed for her left side. When he did his speed decreased very subtly to anyone not paying attention.

In a spur of the moment action, Tani twisted herself so her left side was facing Luffy. The boy slowed down, confirming her observations. She balled her left hand into a fist and aimed right for his upper arm. He dodged with ease, but that gave the girl enough time to drop to her feet and sweep her leg across the ground to knock him over. He jumped out of the way, launching his arms around the woodeen beam that holds the sails in place.

"No fair, you're way too high for me too reach," she shouted.

"Just climb up here then," he snickered. Balancing on the wood with his arms fanned out.

"And be up that high? No thanks, I quite enjoy not having to worry about falling to my demise thank you very much," she crossed her arms staring at the captain.

"you won't die," he assured, she shook her head furiously. How could she explain this to Luffy in simple terms?

"Um... Heights are like your water weakness, but for me," she explained "I'm pretty much paralysed,".

Luffy made an "oh" sound in understanding. Jumping down from the beam he was on, landing right in front of his partner.

What he didn't expect was her to instantly launch into an attack, her fist collided with his jaw. It wasn't really strong, but it could knock back an enemy not made of rubber.

When he turned his head back to her she was panicking and apologizing furiously. Luffy smirked, sending a fist towards her face. She freaked out, letting out a pathetic shriek and ducking out of the way. Her thoughts started to eat at her.

The rational part of her mind was drowned out by the screaming of her irrational brain telling her she wasn't safe. Was it just the fact that she had witnessed Luffy at full strength? That boy was a monster on the battlefield, but this wasn't a real fight. She wasn't in danger, he wouldn't actually hurt her.

Lost in thought, she failed to notice Luffy's leg sweep underneath her. The girl fell backwards and knocked her head hard against the wooden deck. She stared at the clear blue sky with a dazed expression. Luffy looming over her with concern in his eyes.

Tani rolled to her side, trying to push herself back up. Her jelly like limbs making it a much harder task than it should have been. Luffy didn't move to help her, he was still her opponent after all. When she was up, she held her arms up. Shielding her upper torso from the blows she was ready for Luffy to deal.

He took a stance, Tani felt her breath catch in her throat. He threw the first punch, then the next, and the next, so on so forth. Tani could already picture the bruises that would dance up her arms, though that was her irrational brain talking. Really she wouldn't have any because Luffy wasn't hitting that hard.

She knew at this point that she would need to make an opening herself, or take a hit and just charge all at once. Her breathing sped up, to the point making her dizzy from the rush of adrenaline. Luffy continued attacking her guarded point, going for a final blow.

Luffy wound up for a final hit that gave Tani the time to act. Breaking her defense down, she balled both hands into a fist and with a battle cry. Charged at Luffy, jumping forward and slamming both fists into his chest. Knocking him backwards, he stumbled back a bit but wasn't down. She threw her shaky fists at the rubber man, who took each hit. After a moment of mindlessly firing punches, Luffy grabbed both fists and held them in place. His face was serious, Tani saw her reflection in his eyes. She was a mess, like a complete mess that should probably never fight ever.

Luffy let go of her hands, they slackly dropped to her sides. He shifted from serious to cheery, hooking an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a comfortable side hug. Her heart rate slowed down to a regular speed, she didn't feel like she was fighting for her survival anymore. Why was she so worked up, Luffy was probably the safest person to be around on the ship in terms of you won't die when he's around (sanji was a very close second).

"That was fun," Luffy snickered smushing his cheek into hers. "You don't hit very hard, and your stance is not great." he evaluated, Tani listened to what he had to say. "Oh! You also spend way too much time thinking," he finished.

Tani sighed, "Sorry, I panicked," she admitted.

"I know," Luffy laughed. Tani felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment, her hands flying up to cover her ashamed face. "You'll get better, I'm sure Zoro's a great teacher when he's not training by himself." he said. Was Luffy trying to make her feel better for being a total loser?

"I'm hungry, let's go eat." Luffy didn't give the girl time to think before dragging her towards the kitchen for a well earned breakfast. Her thoughts lingering on the spar, and what she did wrong.

She needed to train her arms more, while her legs were already pretty tough in the sense that she was great at running, swimming and skating. Throwing around yo-yo's for fun tricks didn't do much for muscle building in the arms. So she could bring that feed back to Zoro and work on that...

Guess sparing with Luffy was a good idea after all.

...

Grand line weather is ballistic as hell! First a wild wind hit the boat, sending everyone that wasn't Zoro (who was napping at the time) tripping and falling over themselves.

Then a huge ass whirl pool spun the ship like crazy, if it hadn't been for Nami's expert navigation skills the crew would have perished.

"There's an island up ahead," Tani called from her spot clinging to the mast, her finger pointed towards the huge circular mountains in the distance. The mist that obscured them cleared to reveal green mountains, and an island that looked like a snapped biscuit.

A town spread out across either side of the split island, with a big bridge connecting the two.

A muffled roar suddenly hit Tani's ears, the sounds of voices calling and-

"Are they cheering?" Usopp asked from atop the crows nest. He had his goggles pulled over his eyes. So they were peoples voices.

"Welcome pirates!"

"Glad you made it!"

"Congratulations!"

Voices of all ages cheered towards the Merry. The crew had mixed feelings.

"is it really safe to dock here?" Tani asked Nami as she approached the girl. Nami sighed, concern written on her features.

"We need to stay here until the log pose resets," she sounded just as suspicious of the town as Tani. "Let's just act natural... And not! Cause trouble," her glare directed at Luffy and Zoro, both ignored her just as they had the last time.

The crew vacated the ship after docking. A man with some renaissance music composers wig, and a very long face walked towards them to greet the crew.

"Well-" he started before coughing, clearing his throat "Ma ma maa! Welcome to our town of whisky Peak," he welcomed the crew, the boys all looked excited while Tani and Nami kept their guards up. After sparing with Luffy, Tani knew she wasn't quite ready to fight with just anyone, she needed to pick her battles carefully.

"A town that welcomes pirates?" Nami questioned aloud. Her expression screamed skeptical. The mayor laughed in a joy tone.

"Why of-" cough cough, "Mama maa! Why of course we do, pirates who've worked so hard to traverse reverse mountain deserve some praise don't you agree?" The mayor responded. Nami nodded in agreement, but her posture showed she wasn't buying this.

"Lighten up a little Nami," Luffy said, while messing with the guys old fashioned hair. The man had a pleased smile. If this was an act, than he was one hell of an actor.

"Please, stay for as long as you need. Tonight we shall-" cough cough, "Ma maa! Tonight we shall have a party to celebrate your arrival," he declared, the entire town cheered loudly.

This was gonna be a long night...

...

The town did indeed throw a massive party, it was bigger than the one at Cokayashi village. The crew was eating, drinking, and entertaining themselves into the later hours of the night.

Well all except for one.

Tani sat in the corner of the room. She didn't like this one bit, it just felt like a trick and she wanted to be one step ahead of the game. She clutched at the yo-yo's resting in her jacket pockets, her skates tied to the side of her bag which was strapped tightly to her back. Her gut telling her that she wasn't safe.

Grumble...

Her gut also told her that she was hungry. She had watched Luffy stuffing his face all night, his body inflated like a balloon... At this rate he was going to look like Jabba the hut by the end of the night. She laughed to herself at the thought, maybe she could grab some of that chocolate she bought from the magic convenience store. Raising from her spot and walking out the door, the cold of night greeted her. It was refreshing, that room was stuffy and felt unsafe.

Tightening the straps on her bag for the hundredth time that night, she was surprised to hear a familiar jingle play from her bag. Her eyes lit up.

The store was in this town? Taking a bounce with every step, it didn't take long to find the place tucked away in the corner of the town.

She entered the store and to her surprise it was the same clerk from last time that greeted her. Tani waved at them, and they smiled that trade mark customer service smile, waving back. Tani decided that she wanted to shop for not just snacks, but some clothes too.

She couldn't survive off three shirts, two pairs of shorts and two jackets. Running around the store she found jumpers, pants, singlets, sneakers, the works! Everything she could ever need or want was in the store. Bundling all the newly acquired clothes (with a bunch of snacks she could share with the crew) she proceeded with purchase. Thanking the clerk with a huge smile. The clerk bagged the many items, a bell attached to each bag. There were enough bells to fill one of her pockets. Maybe she could give them as little gifts to the crew?

Tani left the store with a "thank you" to the chipper cashier. The plethora of bells chimed with every step she took, at least she got one good thing out of this shady little town-

*Trip*

Tani almost fell over the passed out body of a random villager. What the hell had happened here? She turned her head towards the sound of conflict in the distance. The shadows of people fighting danced along the walls of the towns buildings. She quietly dropped her bags on the ground, unclipped her skates from her bag and slid them on.

Her hands slipped into her pockets to hook the yo-yo strings to her index fingers. She focused on the sound of conflict, skating towards the brunt of the sound. Metal clashing against metal, foot steps heavy against the dirt pavement.

She turned a corner to find Zoro running across the street with his three swords out. A crowd of townsfolk chasing him with various weapons while the swordsman smiled the devils grin. He was having way too much fun with this.

Tani raced towards him. Zoro may be one of the strongest people she's ever met, but no man can handle so many people on his own... Actually this is a member of the Straw hat crew... Ok so maybe Tani wanted to feel a little more useful.

That's when she spotted it, a figure appeared from the shadows behind Zoro. The swordsman was focused on the six men trying to slash, smash or stab him.

Tani launched herself forward at a speed she wasn't aware she could hit. Her yo-yo's thrust forward and tangled around the shadow figures arms before he could make any attacking motions. The man let out a strangled gasp, but didn't have time to untangle himself before Tani lifted a leg and handle-barred the man with her leg.

Zoro turned around to face the new arrival, his brows lifted in confusion. He didn't see Tani at the party, had she been fighting too? He hadn't seen any bodies around though. Surely she would have come running to them for help.

"Where have you been?" Zoro called behind him, Tani having slid over to him with her back facing his. A circle of enemies surrounded them.

"I was shopping," she answered truthfully. That just confused the swordsman more.

The group of enemies all charged at once, weapons held up in anticipation. Zoro pushed down on Tani's head so she wasn't in range for his attack. Holding the two blades in the same direction, he slashed in a circular motion. Thrusting the opponents away, blood spurting from their chests.

"How about we chat and run?" Tani suggested with a cautious look. Zoro gave a chuckle and started running, Tani skated beside him with ease.

"Mind explaining what's happening?" Tani asked once they were at a comfortable speed.

"These guys are all members of Baroque works. Some bounty hunter group or whatever," he replied. Taking a turn, Tani followed.

"Like Johnny and Yosaku?" she questioned. He gave an affirmative, so she continued, "What would they want with us?" she asked, smacking a bounty hunter in the face with a yo-yo. "Other than Luffy, we don't have bounties," she said breathlessly.

"Less talking, more fighting." Zoro said. Effectively ending the conversation.

They were chased around the whole town, being ambushed left, right and whatever other directions existed on this plane of existence. It was then that Tani noticed they were going around in a circle! Of course they're being ambushed, the enemy could see them coming a mile away.

"Follow me!" she called out, taking a left turn. Zoro did as requested, finding a ramp and ladder to higher grounds. Tani couldn't climb up the ladder, and the ramp wasn't going to give her enough air to actually get on the roof.

Zoro wasted no time climbing the ladder, he was on the roof top. He looked at Tani as if waiting for her to join him.

"I can't climb up, I'll stay on the ground level." she yelled to him. He gave her a silent nod, making sure they stayed within each others sights while rushing around to knock out as many enemies as they could.

Tani was holding up pretty well for someone being crowded by enemies. She was giving them all a run for their money. They were all just as amateur as she was-

A bat was slammed into the wall she was next to. Tani found herself being attacked by the male stowaway from the day before, he held two bats in his hands. Swinging at her violently, she felt her nerves flair up. Shaking her head, she's got this, thinking back on Luffy's advice. Don't think too much. Stop thinking so hard.

The guy swung and landed a blow on her ribs because of course she was doing exactly what she told herself not to do. The impact was harder than any of Luffy's from training. This was real, this was very very real.

Tani staggered, taking a deep breath. The guy charged at her with his bats raised. Tani had had it! spinning her yo-yo's as fast as she could. She charged at the man. He stood shocked for the shift in her attitude. A mistake on his part because Tani decked him hard in the face with her yo-yo's. Knocking him to the ground. Her breathing was uneven and quick, she was safe. Relax, calm down, breath, breath. The ghost of Luffy's comforting arm around her shoulders pulled her back into that safe space in her brain. Luffy would always be there to protect her, even if he wasn't there.

"Carue! Stop! He's that way!" the distressed cries of the blue haired stowaway yelled at the huge duck she was riding. The pair running right passed Tani, into another street. Zoro leapt from the roof of a building, landing right beside Tani. He looked at the guy Tani knocked out, giving her an approving smile.

"That training must be paying off huh?" Tani grinned. Zoro elbowed her softly in the arm. He was proud of her progress.

"Mamamaaa!" the mayor guy called out of nowhere. He pulled at the ribbons on his tie. Large machine guns from his hair opened fire on the pair. Well that's a smart place to put a weapon, hide it in plain sight.

Zoro pulled Tani behind him, while swooping down to grab the downed body Mr 9 and using him as a human shield for the pair. The mayor shot rounds at the human meat shield, but paused when he realized the mistake.

While the mayor was distracted, Zoro tossed Mr 9 at discount Mozart. Knocking him over and defeating him rather easily.

"Ok but did you see that guys hair?" Tani asked from behind Zoro, "That's so cool," she gushed. Zoro rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm, dragging her beside him as he ran.

Zoro managed to pull Tani and himself into an open space. Well it would be open if it wasn't for the crowd of even more Baroque works members surrounding them like a swarm of insects.

The loud and very obnoxious laughter of a girl from above caused ran into look up, a floating yellow woman with an umbrella graced the skies. Following below her was a man in maroon clothes and a pair of shades.

The pair started talking about "Spies in the ranks" and "Missions to take them out" but Tani didn't pay attention to their talking, her focus was more on what the hell these people are capable of-

Boom!

The maroon man had flicked something at Mr 9, who had gotten up again at some point and ran at him. He exploded... His body fell limp to the ground, black smoke escaping his open mouth. Zoro kept himself in front of Tani, his swords held firmly in his hands and mouth.

"They're dangerous, cover my back for me would ya." he directed. Tani nodded and pressed herself against his back with a determined look. She wouldn't let anything get passed her-

"Zoro? Tani?" the pair blinked at the new voice. Turning around to face the inflated form of their captain. They both smiled in relief at the sight of him.

"Thank goodness, Luffy! Come help us out would ya," Tani smiled, but Luffy gave the pair a pissed look. A look that said he wanted someone's dreams crushed, Tani's face dropped. "What's wrong Luffy?" she asked.

"You two... You two hurt all these people, they gave us food... They welcomed us into their homes, and you hurt them!" he roared, both Tani and Zoro's minds blanked for a moment... He had to be joking right?

"Luffy they tried to-" Tani barely got the words out before Luffy shot his fist towards the pair, Zoro pushed Tani out of the way. "Shit!" Tani cursed, rolling onto her knees and pushing off the ground.

"Luffy! Listen you moron!" she shouted at him, but he just sent another fist her way. She didn't move in time, it collided with her left side...

Oh shit! He was serious about this.

Fight or flight boiled in her veins. The guy who could take down entire buildings was fighting with her and Zoro!

"That idiot," Zoro growled under his breath. He couldn't stay focused on where to direct his attention. The lady with the umbrella had slammed down into the ground with her whole body, as if she was an anvil from a loony-toon sketch. Luffy was still recovering from the movement he made. Tani would be more capable for taking on a handicapped Luffy, than these two.

"Tani, I need you to keep him off my back. These guys mean serious business," Zoro requested, dodging the floating girl as she broke through the ground again. The exploding guy set off an explosion right beside the pair.

Tani gave Zoro a confused look. How the hell did he expect her to take on Luffy?! Captain of the "I can destroy buildings without batting an eye" crew. Zoro gave her a steely look when she dared to question his directions. The girl sighed but turned away from him.

"If I die, I'm going to drag you to hell with me," Tani cursed the swordsman shakily, as she faced Luffy. Zoro gave a chuckle before leaping away from her and making a dash towards the maroon man.

Luffy roared into the night, charging at Tani just as he did that morning. That playful look was gone, only anger and aggression was present on his face. It was terrifying. Tani recalled what Luffy had said, so without thinking she skated towards an inclined board.

She skated fast, Luffy lost a lot of speed thanks to his huge rubber ball shape. So when Tani jumped using the ramp, she sailed over Luffy's head and yoinking his straw hat from his head.

She knew she had signed her death wish, but it was the best way to assure Luffy wouldn't target Zoro at all. Placing it atop her head, she sped off down the streets, taking every turn she could think of. Luffy's angered cries echoed through every alleyway and corner. His fists came flying through walls, from the roof tops, from every direction the girl could think of, he was there. She felt like a horror movie protagonist! And Luffy was just as invincible as the likes of Jason or Freddy Kruger. She needed to be smart about this, to hell with not thinking at all.

She turned a corner that lead to the dock, the boat was right in front of her. She could make a run for that, but exposing herself to the open space was risky.

She could dive for the water, since Luffy couldn't swim. However that didn't mean he couldn't just yank her from the water and beat her up. He'd pulled her out of water before after all-

"Give me back my hat!" Luffy roared from above her, jumping from the roof. His body would have crushed her as flat as a pancake, had she not sped towards and dived into the ocean.

She kept herself submerged for a solid 45 seconds, swimming away from the spot she dived into. She swam behind the Merry, hoping the cover would hide her from her enraged captain. Her hands held the rim of his precious hat, she felt awful for taking it but it needed to be done. She hoped Zoro was fairing well on his own, he was strong.

"Tani! I'm gonna kick your ass when I find you!" Luffy shouted into the night, Tani closed her eyes tight. "I thought we were nakama! But you hurt these nice people that threw a party for us, and you stole my hat!" Luffy kept talking, Tani rolled her eyes at the party statement, anyone can throw you a party. Doesn't mean they're good people... Moron. Why is he such a moron?

"Show yourself Tani!" he shouted. Yeah no...

"You coward! Face me so I can kick your ass!" he taunted. "Where are you?" he was going to give their location away at this rate.

"Shut up!" she called into the air, Luffy stopped talking. "You're gonna alert the whole island that we're here you idiot!"she shouted... Wait! Shit, he knew where she was now!

The sound of Luffy approaching caused the girl to dive back under the water. He couldn't get her from down there, but she knew she couldn't stay there forever... Luffy knew this too.

Tani swam away from Merry, hoping to keep Luffy's destruction away from the crews only form of escape. She could make her way over to the other side of the island. That would give her a head start, as well as lead Luffy away from Zoro.

She resurfaced and waved to grab Luffy's attention. The rubber man stomped his foot in anger, winding up his arm to stretch over. Lucky for Tani, the captain was still bloated. There would be no way he could slingshot himself over without falling into the water-

Luffy instantly lost all of his extra weight...

Tani dove underwater and let out a scream of frustration. The ledge to get out of the water was far too high for her to climb up in time to avoid Luffy's stupid anger. All this because these towns folks fed him.

The black girl had no more air left in her lungs, she would need to surface. She didn't have any plans for what to do, for now she was going to have to wing it... That wouldn't end well for her and she knew it.

3...

2...

1...

Tani broke the surface of the water. She barely had time to clear the salt water from her eyes, when a hand clasped around her jacket and pulled her out of the water. Tani was faster though, she ripped her arms out of the jacket and splashed right back into the water. She had to hold back a snicker when Luffy didn't account for the loss of weight and ended up smacking himself in the face with a wet jacket.

Tani dived under the water and swam back towards the other side of the island, it was far too dark for Luffy to see her moving under water.

"STOP HIDING!" Luffy shouted into the air. Tani felt tired, her stomach aches from the lack of food, she felt guilty for taking his hat, and she was sick of his idiotic assumptions of her.

Her whole life had been built on assumptions. People assuming she was different because her skin tone wasn't barbie doll white, people assuming she was thuggish, a danger to society. She hated it.

"SHUT UP!" Tani screamed, breaking the surface of the water and turning to face Luffy. He was paused, mid shoulder roll. Salty water pushed from Tani's eyes, salt water that most certainly wasn't the ocean. "YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT ME!" Tani shouted with a hiccup in her resolve.

She always hated crying.

Luffy stared at her with clear eyes. The food coma that affected his thoughts finally disappeared... What happened? Why was Tani crying?

"Why does everyone keep thinking I'm the bad guy?" Tani said in a much quieter voice. Bad guy? How could she be a bad guy if she was nakama? He needed to comfort her now. So why was she swimming away from him?

Tani made it to the other side of the island, her clothes clung heavily to her skin. She managed to pull herself onto land, a cool wind caressed her skin. Tani turned to glare at Luffy.

"I'm just a thug in your eyes? Aren't I?" she said with a choked laugh. The tears poured out of her eyes faster. Luffy felt himself ache. "I'm just a menace to society aren't I?" she said. She wasn't even talking to Luffy anymore. She sank to the ground in a sob.

"Luffy!" Nami's voice called out for him. Zoro and the blue haired stowaway following behind her. Zoro noticed the lack of Tani, his blades at the ready.

"Where is she? What did you do to Tani?!" he said with anger laced venom. Luffy may be the captain, but if he hurt nakama for something so stupid then he wouldn't hesitate to strike him down. The rubber boy pointed to the other half of town. Tani was on the ground crying to herself.

"What the hell did you do to her?!" Nami shrieked. The blue haired girl moved in front of her in an attempt to calm the red head.

"I don't know? I was asleep and now I'm here and she's crying," Luffy answered. Zoro stared at him, then at Tani.

"Nami, go get Tani and bring her over here. Make sure she's alright," Zoro commanded the navigator. She nodded, walking to the bridge that connected the islands, the blue girl followed behind her. Zoro faced Luffy, "You attacked her captain," Zoro states bluntly. Luffy had a feeling that's what happened, but why?

Nami and her companion made it to Tani. The red head instantly dropped to the ground to be at eye level with the sobbing mess of brown and green. The blue haired girl stood back awkwardly.

"Tani, Tani it's me Nami," Nami comforted. The girl looked up to face the girl with freckles adorning her face. Nami gave her a warm smile, full of loving comfort. Tani leaned forward, pressing her head into the girls chest. Nami lifted an arm and wrapped it around Tani's shoulders. "It's ok Tani." she said softly.

It took a few minutes before the crying died down. Tani lifted her head off the navigators chest to look at the awkward blue girl.

"What's she doing here?" Tani asked curiously. Nami got to introducing the mystery girl.

"This is Vivi, she's actually a princess from some desert island and wants our help with something." Nami explained. Vivi gave a wave to Tani, which Tani returned.

"We should head back to the ship, I'm sure Zoro's finished knocking some sense into Luffy now," Nami joked. Tani felt herself tense, her hands lifted to hold the rim of the straw hat that rested on her head.

She got up off the ground and followed the two girls back to Merry. Luffy and Zoro held Usopp and Sanji in their arms. Oh and the mayor guy was there too... Only he had a Vivi look to him, as well as four flour bags with faces drawn on them to look like Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Tani.

"You're leaving?" Vivi asked softly. She looked afraid.

"I'll distract them my princess, don't worry about me," he smiled in an assuring manner. The blue princess approached him and wrapped her arms around the mayor guy. Tani looked away from the touching moment. Turning to face Luffy, he looked at her with sympathetic eyes. He also happened to have her grocery bags with him.

She approached him, a sheepish expression on her face. God she felt so awkward. Luffy handed her the bags, which she took and thanked him for. Putting them on the ground and grabbing his hat from her head.

"Sorry for taking it," she apologized. Luffy looked at her in surprise, taking the hat from her hands and looking back and forth between it and her saddened expression."It was the only way to make sure you wouldn't attack Zoro," she rubbed at her neck.

He gave her a smile, his hand reached towards her head. He plucked her soaked cap from off her head, resting it on his own. He then took his straw hat, and put it back on her head. Tani didn't know what to say.

To the outside world it may have just looked like a hat swap. To her this was a declaration of trust. He trusted her enough to hold his only prized possession, and she in return needed to trust him back. She smiled back at him, nodding in understanding.

"I'll meet you in Alabasta, princess Vivi," the mayor said, his boat sailing in the opposite direction of where they were heading. Nami called for everyone to board the ship. The log pose had reset so they were free to start sailing. Vivi boarded with a saddened expression, looking at the small boat that was sailing away-

*Boom!*

An explosion was set off where the mayor was placed. A black smog filled the spot his boat was once in. Vivi screamed in horror, reaching out towards the ocean as if she could grab him. Nami and Usopp had to pull her back before she jumped over board.

They'd hit open waters, Vivi still mourned over her companion. The emotion in her voice was raw. Tani walked over to comfort her. Only to freeze when she noticed a shadow appear on the deck.

"My isn't this a surprise?" an enigmatic voice said with venomous sweetness. The crew looked up to see a raven haired woman in a purple get-up and a cowboy hat. She sat on the railing with her head resting in her hand. Icy blue eyes stared at them.

"Miss All-Sunday?" Vivi whispered in fear. The crew took on battle stances. "Why are you here?" the princess choked out. The woman smiled.

"That's none of your concern," she said sweetly. Her hand flicked up, Luffy's hat flew off Tani's head and into the mystery woman's grasp. Tiny pink petals danced passed Tani's vision. The woman twirled the art around her finger. "No why would a princess like you, be working with pirates?" she questioned.

"Oi! Give me back my hat you stupid mystery lady!" Luffy stomped on the ground childishly. The lady snickered before tossing the hat back to Luffy. She stood up and walked towards the edge of the boat. She reached into her pocket and tossed an hour glass at Luffy.

"That's an eternal log pose that should help you get to Alabasta, it leads to an island right next to the desert kingdom," she purred. Luffy looked at the object like it offended him.

"I don't want it!" he declared, throwing it on the ground angrily. Shattering it into pieces. "I don't want to have a boring adventure!" he shouted to the world. The woman snickered and turned away from the crew.

Before anyone could stop her, she jumped over the edge of Merry. A loud thunk was heard. The crew looked over the side of the boat to find her sitting on a giant turtle with a seat on its shell. She gave them a wave, sailing into the distance.

Nami walked over to Luffy and smacked him in the head.

"You dolt! I could have used that log pose to draw a map of the island!" she whined. Luffy gave her a half arsed sorry but she wasn't listening.

"Luck for you, I have this log pose. It's already set to the next island," Nami grinned. "so let's set a course for the new island!" she cheered. Everyone jumped into action.

Wonder where the next island will be?


	10. Chapter 10

"Marco!" Tani called out with a blindfold over her eyes, hands held out in front of her in search of her hidden friends. Stifled giggles and the shuffling of feet surrounded her.

"Polo!" Luffy called from behind her, as Usopp called from her left. She spun around to tap Luffy or Usopp but found empty air. Tani felt herself losing balance, flailing her arms in the air to hopefully hold onto some railing or the main mast... She ended up with her face smacking into the ground. She heard laughing (probably Luffy and Usopp) and couldn't help but join them.

Tani lifted the blindfold to be greeted with the held out hand of Luffy. She accepted his help, letting him pull her to her feet with little effort. The trio was breathless from all the laughing.

They'd been travelling towards the next island for a couple days. The amount of pent up energy in everyone was making the whole crew feel restless, so Tani introduced some games from her home. Playing Marco Polo out of water wasn't as fun, but when one of the members literally gets paralysed when up to his knees in salt water it's a little difficult... The whole devil fruit shebang is cool in theory, but exchanging the ability to swim and being a pirate just seems really, really stupid.

"Tani~" Tani turned to find a tray of drinks being presented before her, Sanji grinned at her as she took the closest drink and thanked him. The love struck chef twirled his way up the stairs chanting "Nami~ Vivi~" Tani couldn't help but giggle.

Turning to take a sip of her drink... She found it completely drained of the refreshing liquid. Slowly turning her gaze to the most likely culprit, her deadpan stare glaring deep into his guilt free eyes. Luffy was picking his nose like nothing had happened.

"Luffy, you best be sleeping with one eye open tonight because so help me I'm going to actually-" she threatened, only to have another drink replacing the empty one in her hands. A trail of smoke being the only evidence that the chef had been there. "You've been spared this time," she said with a straw in her mouth.

"Hey look at the duck go!" Luffy cheered. The crew turned to watch the giant duck that Vivi brought with her slurping down on a whole bunch of the drinks that Sanji had prepared. Why did he make so many? Then again... The straw hat captain crossed her mind.

Tani didn't watch for very long, the sight was kinda horrific in a sense, nobody should be drinking that much liquid... God have mercy on that birds bladder. Instead of watching, she opted to look out at the ocean in the hopes of finding the next island. She was ready to feel land again, the cramp little boat felt too restrictive.

Not even minutes after that thought an island filled to the brim with jungle and plant life came into view. Tani smiled and turned to her crew mates, waving her hand wildly to grab their attention.

"Land ahoy!" she cheered, feeling giddy at the fact she just said the most pirate thing she could think of at the time. Everyone looked away from the drinking bird and rushed to the edges of the boat to look at the incoming island in awe. "It looks like something out of an adventure movie!" Tani sounded excited, her very first uncharted island.

"Doesn't look like there's any towns we could restock our supplies with though," Nami said with a sigh of disappointment. Now that the crew had two new additions and didn't get the chance to restock at the last island because they were almost all brutally murdered in the dead of night. The crews food and water supplies were critically low. Tani felt like maybe it would be a good idea to invest in some water bottles for the crew.

"So what's the plan Nami?" Tani inquired, resting her head in her palms. Nami leaned on the railing next to the younger women.

"We wait for the log pose to reset," she answered. Luffy groaned at the boring response. Earning him a smack to the head from Sanji, who spouted praise to the redhead,which she promptly ignored.

"But Nami," Luffy complained, elongating her name. "I wanna have an adventure," he pouted, Nami put a hand on her forehead.

"Luffy if we leave the boat, someone's going to get lost." she tried to reason. The look in Luffy's eyes however proved to her that he would just do what he wants to anyway. Tani snickered, drawing Luffy's attention to her.

"You'll come with me right?" he asked with a grin, his arm lazily slung over her shoulders. Tani smiled and laughed, as much as she wanted to explore she knew that wandering in the jungle was a bad idea. Who knows what kinda King Kong monsters will be roaming around!

She shook her head at the eager captain, who pouted in return. His arm uncoiled from her shoulders as he slumped to the ground in disappointment. Sanji stepped in with a question.

"What about food? We've almost run out of supplies," Sanji asked Nami, the girl held her chin in thought. "We could go hunting for meat or plants to eat, but it'll be risky," he stated, Nami agreed.

"Well it would help if we had a way to find each other after splitting up, otherwise you boys could go hunt for food, but we don't have a tracker," Nami concluded. "If only Zoro wasn't such a useless bounty hunter, then he could have been our tracker," Nami teased. The swordsman took the bait and got pissy at her.

Tani readjusted her backpack straps, a choir of ringing bells jingled in her bag. Her ears perked up, but nobody else seemed to notice. She shook the bag again, the bells chimed and jingled. She had an idea! Luffy gave her a weird look.

"What are you doing?" he asked Tani. She tilted her head in confusion, pointing at her bag.

"Can't you hear the bells? We could use those to find each other," Tani smiled, dropping her bag to the ground and fishing out a handful of bells. The crew looked at her with confusion. Luffy grabbed a bell and shook it next to his ear, the sound being heard loud and clear by the dark skinned girl.

"I can't hear anything," Luffy stated, shaking the bell harder. The crew appeared to be under the same blanket. Tani blinked, shaking all of the bells. All of them rang for her... Weird. "But if Tani can hear them, then she can find us!" Luffy cheered. Tani perked up.

"So she's our tracker huh?" Usopp questioned, his hand on his chin in a similar fashion to Nami's. "Oh! She's the party finder, finding anyone that goes missing," Usopp clicked his finger at the cool title he thought up for their now designated party finder.

Tani felt her heart swell, she finally had something to do that was just for her! She nodded in acceptance of her new role, a handful of bells singing with her happiness. The crew all seemed happy with the new joy on the girls face.

"I'll do my best," she gave a thumbs up. "Let's hand out some bells," she held her hands out to the crew, each member grabbing a bell. Except Zoro who Tani insisted on having three because of his style. Tani still had bells to spare, deciding that she might need to get some sort of storage container to hold the rest. Everyone placed the bells on their person, Zoro tied the bells to his swords sheaths which was super awesome in Tani's opinion. Usopp handed out some string to the others, everyone else making the bells into bracelets or necklaces. Tani couldn't stop smiling.

"Alright, since we seem to have some way to find each other." Nami started, shaking the bell attached to the string around her neck, "It should be safer to explore the island. But! Only for resources!" Nami said. Luffy jumped for joy, his bell danced about on his chest.

"Sanji make lunch boxes!"

"Aye captain," the chef answered, heading to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

The ship docked in the middle of a split in the island. What's with all the islands being split in half? The island itself just screamed untouched by civilization. Nature flourished, birds chirped and shrieked, bugs buzzed and the place was quiet... So quiet.

"Nami, we're outta food." Sanji informed as he walked out the kitchen door. Nami gave a nod of acknowledgement.

"If that's the case, can you go hunting now? Oh and bring someone with you." she asked. Sanji spun on the spot and accepted her request with great enthusiasm. Zoro scoffed at the display, Sanji stopped and scowled at the green haired swordsman.

"You have a problem mosshead? Or you just jealous that Nami asked me to do such an important task," Sanji hissed, Zoro narrowed his eyes and scowled back.

"Shut up love cook, I could hunt way better than you any day," Zoro bit back, "I bet I could get a bigger hunt than you today," he challenged.

"Bullshit! I'm way better than you and your algae brain," Sanji threw "I'll get a bigger kill than you could ever dream of mosshead," Sanji bit back. Nami rolled her eyes and huffed at the hopeless idiots.

"Can you two just shut up and hunt already?" she growled, her gaze turned to Tani who was watching the whole argument unfold while shoving her face with popcorn, where did she get the popcorn? Dunno.

"Tani, can you go with them, we can test the bells system," Nami asked. Tani nodded, popcorn falling out her over stuffed face. Sanji stopped fighting with Zoro and ran over to Tani with hearts in his eyes. Zoro face palmed, shoving the cook away from the girl.

"She can be the judge," Zoro commented, walking towards the side of the boat. Jumping over the edge and landing on the solid grass with a thunk. Sanji jumped down more gracefully, his arms held out for Tani to fall into. Which she did.

"Hey Nami, can I go too? I wanna go on an adventure," Luffy whined. The navigator turned to him and shook her head.

"No, we can't have you running off and getting yourself killed," Nami told him. The captain gave a childish pout.

"But I'm the captain-" he didn't get to finish before Nami bonked him on the head. She turned to the trio on the grass.

"Make sure you're back before sunset," she requested, "And keep Tani safe!" she ended. Tani waved at the crew being left behind with a smile on her face. Excited to test her skills.

"Let's go," Zoro directed, heading into the jungle without waiting for the others to follow.

The walk was quiet, save for the rustling of bushes and trees, the calls of animals that Tani couldn't even begin to comprehend, and squishy footsteps that sunk in the soft muddy surface. Tani walked in between the two bickering nakama, the blonde and moss ball would spit insults at each other's manhood.

"I hope there's nothing too dangerous out here." Tani spoke up, both boys stopped snarling like rabid dogs to listen. "Last time I went camping in a forest, some kid almost got bitten by a snake." Tani recalled. She wasn't much for camping... especially after the giant swing incident.

"I won't let anything lay a finger on you my darling Tani," Sanji cooed sweetly. Zoro rolled his eyes at the display of affection.

"You know she needs to defend herself right?" Zoro reminded the love cook. Sanji snapped out of his love sick puppy-self to respond.

"I know but she's with me right now, so I'm going to protect her with my life," Sanji said with conviction. Zoro crossed his arms behind his head.

"She should be treating this like more training, why don't we get her to join in on the competition?" Zoro said with a devilish gleam in his eye. Sanji gasped in horror.

"And risk her being left alone to fend for herself?! I refuse," Sanji said stubbornly, his arms managing to latch onto Tani as if she was a large doll.

"I'm ok with just following you guys around," Tani said, trying to ease the tension. "Plus I'm only here because we need to test if my bell tracking theory works," she added. Sanji nodded in agreement.

"I'll take her with me, I can't trust you to keep an eye on her," Sanji sneered.

"I can't trust you to keep your eyes off her," Zoro rebutted. Tani sighed, unfocusing from the pointless back and forth.

"How about we split up here and meet up in 15 minutes," Tani asked, the trio looked up at the wall of a mountain. "I'll stay here and-" Tani started, only for Sanji to cut her off.

"I'm not leaving you alone Tani dear," he declared. Tani was the one to roll her eyes.

"It's like Zoro said, this can be training for me. I won't move from this spot, but if something attacks me I know you guys won't be too far away," she smiled with earnest. Zoro gave a chuckle, patting her on the shoulder with brotherly pride.

"Oi ero-cook," Zoro said with a tone that only spelled trouble. "I would say let the best man win, but that would pointless," Zoro snickered. Sanji stomped his foot. Oh boy here we go.

"Says the idiot that'll get lost on the way back, you won't even make it back in 15 minutes." Sanji teased. Zoro glared back.

"Hah, I'll be back in 10 minutes." Zoro snarled. Already making turning around to walk to the left of Tani. Sanji held up a fist and shook it like an old man telling someone to get off their lawn.

"I'll be back in 5 minutes!" Sanji replied. Turning around and walking to the right of Tani. The girl let out a breath laugh. They were such idiots.

Tani tapped her foot in the soft dirt. The boys wouldn't be away for too long, plus she had a pretty killer scream that Sanji would certainly come running to if she was attacked by anything. Her mind was flooded with reassuring thoughts, her nakama would keep her safe. It felt kinda funny saying the term nakama, but she loved it anyway.

Tani didn't even notice the time pass by. Before long both boys walked back dragging behind them...

"Holy shit are those dinosaurs?!" Tani questioned urgently, sprinting towards the downed triceratops that Zoro tossed over his shoulder. "I thought they died out millions of years ago!" Tani nervously laugh-shouted. She could hear the Jurassic Park theme song blaring in her brain.

"Which ones bigger? We already know the winner," Zoro proclaimed, raising an irritated brow from the blonde opposite him.

"Yeah. That pathetic runt of a catch is nothing compared to this," Sanji motioned towards his dinosaur. Tani was just flabbergasted by the dinosaurs. Was she the only human from her dimension to have ever encountered a non-fossilised dinosaur?

"Tani who won?" the boys said at the same time. Tani blinked blankly, before shaking her head out of her thoughts.

"Uh... Hmm," she examined both of them. Sanji's was bigger in length, but Zoro's was bigger in width. They were pretty much the same! "Can we have a draw? They're both too similar for me to pick a winner," she concluded, breathing a laugh. The boys glared aggressively at each other, head butting each other to assert dominance? Proclaiming their Dino was superior to the others.

"Guys guys, we just needed the meat right? Don't worry about-" she tried to calm the fires of war roaring from both men... Tried.

"I'm finding another one!" Sanji declared, "Bigger than that pathetic piece of shit you call a catch," he huffed, turning away and stomping back into the wild.

"Hah! In your dreams curly brow!" Zoro insulted, storming off in the opposite direction. Leaving Tani alone in the jungle again. The sounds of wild life finally creeping up on her. She didn't know how long they'd be away this time round.

"Sanji! Zoro! We ha-have enough food! Come back, please!" Tani called out with her hands cupping her mouth to project her voice. "Shake your bells, please!" she requested nervously. No bells made a sound.

"Please-" she started again, before the ground underneath her began to shake. An earthquake?! Tani wobbled and tripped over her feet as she attempted to steady herself. Falling onto her butt roughly, her heart rate speeding up in fear. "Shit!" she cursed.

"Tani!" Sanji called from the distance, the sound of his bell jingled as he ran closer. Tani looked his way, his bright blonde hair contrasted against the heavy greenery. He rushes towards her, his long legs carrying him with little effort.

"Sanji!" she called back happily, wobbly pulling herself off the ground. Sanji grabbed her upper arms and steadied her. She gave him a thankful smile, which he returned with that stupid face of his. Cheering Tani right up. "Wait? Where's Zoro?" she asked, not seeing the green haired swordsman anywhere. Sanji scoffed.

"Who cares about that air head? He probably got lost," Sanji insulted. Tani paled in the face.

"Sanji. It's my job to keep an eye on everyone," she groaned, her hands falling to the ground. Sanji face palmed.

"That shitty swordsman is gonna be the death of us," he sighed. Pulling out a new cigarette and lighting it. Tani lowered herself to a crouch, slipping her bag off her back and untying the roller blades from the side. Slipping them on and clipping them into place.

"It would be a good idea to stick together, however this is Zoro we're talking about so we should split up to cover more ground," Tani concluded. Sanji looked annoyed.

"But Tani," he pouted, elongating the end of her name. She giggled at his childish act. "How can I protect you if you're not beside me?" he looked so sad. His eyes drooped and his face just screamed sad.

"I-I can take care of myself Sanji, I have these," she whipped out her yo-yo's and spun them a couple times, "If you find Zoro, shake your bells as much as you can so I can find you," she requested. Turning to walk in the direction Zoro originally walked. Giving Sanji a quick wave. The cook cooed in the distance about how much he loved a strong women, earning a giggle and eye roll from the girl.

...

"Zoro! Zoro can you hear me!?" Tani shouted as loud as she could, her hands cupping her mouth again. Where could that man be? Tani was lucky her skates seemed to work in any terrain in this world. It was a weird thing she figured out a while ago, but it appeared that grass and dirt didn't slow her down as much as they did back home. Speeding through the heavy brush of the island looking for the lost man. "Zoro! If you hear me! Ring your bells!" she called out.

"Gum gum!"

Luffy?!

"Rocket!"

What was he-

"Luffy? Luffy is that you!" Tani shouted, skating towards the sound of Luffy's voice. His bell chimed in the midst of the conflict-

Slam!

The ground shook like another earthquake. Tani lost her balance, slapping a hand onto a tree for support. She pushed herself forward while calling for Luffy.

"Dorry! You can't fight, you're wounds are too severe!" the high pitched cries of Vivi? Called to Dorry? Who's that? A clearing was in front of Tani. The girl burst forth from the bushes, coming face to face with a sight that was just too much for the girl... Though she really shouldn't be surprised, when will something extraordinary fail to surprise her? Maybe never.

The girl stared up at the gargantuan form of some Viking looking giant! He was huge, with a massive beard and Viking helmet. He was hunched over, his mouth bled as his hand clenched his stomach. Did Luffy fight this guy? Tani's eyes turned towards the straw hat captain, his fists clenched as he barked at the giant.

"Dorry, don't do it. If you do you'll die," Luffy sounded tense. Like he was on the brink of exploding. Tani slowly glided her way over, trying not to draw attention to herself. Halting herself when she stood beside Vivi, who had yet to notice her.

Dorry the giant looked pained, his angered gaze softened slightly as he sighed and very painfully (it was cringe worthy to watch) stood up to his full height. His free hand clenched around a sword, his eyes shadowed by his helmet. Tani let out a breath in awe, drawing Vivi's attention to the girl beside her. Vivi jumped in surprise, but turned back to the giant to try and knock some sense into him.

"Dorry stop! You'll get killed!" she cried. Luffy remained silent, staring up at the giant with a look of determination. The giant however ignored them and proceeded to lift a giant rock and dropped it on top of Luffy! Tani shouted, making her presence known to everyone. She sped towards the now downed Luffy.

"What the hell! Why did you do that?" she shouted at the giant who stood still.

"Elbaf has decided to favour Brogy, I can't back down now," Dorry declared, holding his sword in the air. His head turned towards the mountain, as if he was waiting. Tani ignored him and turned to Luffy, she grabbed his arms and pulled as hard as she could. His arms just kept stretching! She couldn't pull him free from the weight of the rock. Luffy remained silent, waiting for Dorry to make his move.

Then the mountain erupted... The giant turned away to leave. Both Luffy and Vivi cried for him to stop, but he didn't spare them a glance as he rushed away to do whatever he was doing. Tani struggled and pulled on Luffy in desperation. The boy angrily headbutt at the rock behind him, he was pissed. The dirt beneath Tani caved as she repeatedly skidded across the same spot over and over again. Vivi remained still, looking to where Dorry disappeared from. Tears dribbled from her eyes.

The jingle of a bell perked up Tani's ears. She turned towards the bushes. Luffy looked up at her curiously, unaware of the bell sound alerting the girls senses. It was ringing like crazy, as if the crew memeber was running. Out of the bushes tumbled Usopp, who looked out of breath with all the sweat running down his face. Followed by Carue the duck? Why were they running?

"Usopp! what's wro-" before Tani could finish, an explosion hit her in the side. Tani was sent flying to the right, slamming into the hard ground. Luffy screamed her name, clawing at the ground in an attempt to free himself. Out of the brush came Mr 5 and Miss Valentine, the women laughed her obnoxious laugh. Tani struggled to lift herself off the ground, coughing the smoke away. Her hands slipped into her pockets, sliding her weapon of choice into place. The sound of Vivi and Usopp's panicked cries filled the air as the enemy Duo explained what they were doing. Tani was having a hard time listening in, her ears ringing.

"What's Baroque works doing here?!" Vivi cried. An explosion setting off near her, throwing her to the ground. Mr 5 loomed over her, his hand stretched out to grab her.

Tani thrust her yo-yo at the man, skidding across the ground in her skates. The man could explode parts of his body? Or at least his ear wax (gross) so if he had no access to his arms, he wouldn't be able to explode anything. Tani circled around Mr 5 as fast as she could, the strings of her yo-yo's constricting his movements. He looked too calm... Tani tensed, she didn't know why he was so calm. Why is he so calm?

The man picked at his nails, the tip of one of his nails curled off. This fingers clipped over it and he flicked his fingers her way. Launching the finger nail clipping towards the girl, who had failed to register what the hell had happened. The nail hit her in the chest, the explosion sent her flying backwards, pulling her yo-yo's backwards with her. Mr 5 fell to the ground while Tani flew head first into the rock holding Luffy down.

Black spots filled her vision, her head spun and her limbs hurt. Mr 5 freed himself from his bindings and loomed over Tani with a blank, almost bored expression. His finger wiggled in his ear, dislodging a small ball of wax on the tip of his finger. Tani's eyes widened, her arms sluggishly pulled in front of her face as she clenched her face shut. The distant distressed calls of her nakama being the last thing she heard before the clicking of fingers...

Bang!

...

"-ni..."

"Tani..."

"Tani!"

"TANI!"

The girls eyes shot open, her body flinging forward in fear. Her breathing was heavy and sweat coated her face. Morning vision cleared, her eyes staring into the concerned faces of Luffy and Usopp. Luffy's face looked relieved at the sight of the now conscious girl. His arms curled around her, Usopp followed afterwards. Even the bird joined in! Tani felt like her body was going to break.

"I'm alright I'm alright... Please let go I can't breath," she wheezed. Usopp and Carue let go upon request, but Luffy's hold lingered a little longer. Tani sheepishly pat the captains back until he pulled away. His arms hooked under her arms and pulled her up to her feet. Only after standing for a moment did Tani notice the absence of Vivi.

"Where's Vivi?" she asked, both boys tensed. Luffy's gaze darkened while Usopp clenched his fists. Tani furrowed her brow. Oh...

"Let's go get her back," Tani clapped her hands. Luffy smirked and nodded his head in agreement, Usopp followed in suit. Carue quacked in agreement. The group prepared to leave, Usopp mounted Carue while Tani stretched her legs and back to warm up herself for the skate trip. Luffy snickered behind her.

"We ready?" she asked, placing one foot before the other. Her posture was that of a runner before a race.

"Aye aye Tani!" the boys confirmed. Tani smirked, "Race you there," her eyes twinkled, her front leg pushing her forward. The blades propelled her forward, giving her a head start before either boy had a moment to register that she'd left.

Hands gripped her shoulders as the distant call of a "gum gum rocket!" was heard. The girls face paled slightly. Oh boy... Luffy flung himself at the girl, latching onto her back as she zoomed through the maze of trees and bushes. The extra weight from the boy piggybacking on her made it a little bit tricky to turn and dodge as fast as she normally would, luckily Luffy used his arms to pull the girl out of dangers way. His legs looped around her waist to keep him secured. So that's why he didn't board Carue...

The sound of bells jingling caught the attention of Tani. Who halted for a split second. The sound of... 2...3...5 bells? That sounded about right. Which only means.

"This way!" she called out to Usopp who was trailing behind her and Luffy. She turned towards the bells, racing forward. A clearing came into view, white flakes filled the air like snow.

What the group found was... Well it was something. A huge wax structure with a white pumpkin spinning on top and candles around said pumpkin. Flakes of wax which melted from the candles heat, rained down on the-

"Zoro! What the hell how did you get this far away? Sanji and I were looking for you," Tani yelled at the idiot swordsman, who looked back at her with an annoyed glare.

"It's not my fault you and shitty brow got so hopelessly lost," he yelled back at her. She went to keep yelling at him, but Nami (who was also apparently stuck) struck Zoro across the head.

"Hurry up and save us!" she called at the group. Luffy dismounted Tani's back and rushed head first into the fray. Tani followed behind him, while Usopp and Carue hid in the bushes.

"Well well well, if it isn't Straw hat Luffy," a new and super annoying voice called out. All attention was turned to the man with the super stupid hair, he was probably Mr 3 because his hair was shaped as so... And it was in fire, that would smell so bad! "It's too late for your friends! They'll become masterpieces!" he started rambling like the Saturday morning cartoon villain he was, literally nobody said anything and he's already started his monologue about "Art" and "Oh so beautiful" Tani just rolled her eyes and walked towards the candle thingy.

"Coming down!" Miss Valentine called out, her body slamming into the ground where Tani stood just a moment ago. Tani felt her skin sweat, the dust cleared and a huge hole that would have been Tani was dug. The bright yellow women flew out of the hole and laughed obnoxiously. Tani clutched her yo-yo's and prepared an attack. Only to get an explosion to her back... Pain bloomed on her back, a shout of profanity escaped her mouth.

"Usopp! What are you waiting for?" Nami called from above Tani. Tani ignored their conversation, turning her focus back to the floating women. She wasn't really there the last time the crew faced her so from what she could see, this women was able to change her weight on a whim. As long as she wasn't underneath her then the enemy couldn't do much.

"Luffy wait-" Nami called out, Tani had little time to notice Luffy flying out of nowhere and slamming his legs into the column holding up the spinning pumpkin candles. There was a loud crash, the column collapsed. Coating Tani in a layer of white wax. The air cleared... Only now the pumpkin was closer to the trio trapped in wax. "Idiot! You just sped up the process!" Nami wailed in anger. Luffy laughed in apology. Tani turned back to her opponent.

"10,000 kilo guillotine~" Valentine announced. Tani's eyes bulged as she jumped out of the way, a leg slammed into the ground leaving a massive crater. Tani was breathing heavily, coughing and choking on the wax dust in the air. She couldn't see Miss Valentine! The women repeated the actions, Tani barely dodging everytime. How was she going to take this women out? She didn't have a thing that could weight the women down, plus she could just change her weight... Wait!

Tani waited patiently for the next time Valentine came crashing down. Her breathing slowed as she concentrated, focusing her hearing to the sky. The world seemed to slow down, sounds dulled... There!

Valentine came crashing down, digging herself into the ground. Tani jumped into action, throwing herself into the hole with a weighty thunk. Tackling Valentine to the ground, Tani's hands holding Valentine's wrists. She had the floating girl pinned. The women struggled against her captor, Tani needed to think of a way to take her out before she could free herself.

So Tani did the only thing she could think of, with the resources she had around her. Rearing her head back, she threw her upper body forward. Her head smashed into Valentine's, knocking the girl out. Tani felt dizzy, her head pulsed from the impact. However she was proud of herself for holding her own against a devil fruit user. Pulling herself out of the hole, now she needed a rock or something-

"Giga wax armour!" Mr 3 called out loud. Drawing Tani's attention to the guy.

She found herself looking at a giant mecha made of wax fighting a shirtless Luffy while Usopp was coating a rope in something while running away from Mr 5.

Tani ran to Usopp's aid, her yo-yo's flinging towards Mr 5. The strings wrapping around his body tight just like the last time. He stayed calm just like the last time... Only Tani wasn't going to underestimate him again. Her attention kept on his hands which were now scrapping at his nails again.

"Oi!" Usopp called out to Mr 5. "Eat this!" he launched a star at him. The man smirked and swallowed it... Why would you do that... Ew. The star didn't explode as Tani had expected, no instead Mr 5's face reddened and began sweating. Tani held back a snicker as the man's mouth blazed with burning flames. Pulling the string and tripping the man, ringing in her yo-yo's while Usopp whacked the man over the head with a rock. Knocking him out. Tani smiled and held a hand out for Usopp to high five, the Duo clapped hands and laughed at their handy work.

Usopp turned towards Carue, handing the bird the coated rope. Instructing the bird to run around the candle structure, and fast because everyone was a striking white colour. The duck took the rope in his mouth and saluted Usopp before rushing towards the candle thingy to wrap it in the coated rope. Usopp readied a fire star. Tani turned back to Luffy's fight, he seemed to be handling himself really well against the mecha. Though she felt her cheeks warm up at sight of him having no shirt, like why was it off?! She turned away sheepishly and watched as Usopp set the wax ablaze.

Nami, Zoro and Vivi burst free from their prison... Why the hell was Nami's shirt off? Why is everyone losing their tops! Tani covered her face in embarrassment.

Zoro noticed Mr 5 getting back up, the man was snarling, aiming a nail clipping towards Usopp. The sniper wasn't paying attention, lucky for him Zoro managed to cut the man down with one strike.

Nami and Vivi spotted Miss Valentine crawling out of the hole she'd been knocked out in. The two girls looked at each other with a nod and charged the woman. Nami clicked her wooden staff together while Vivi whipped out her bladed strings from her shirt. The girls knocked out the yellow floating girl before she even had the chance to notice the orange and blue girls.

The heat from Usopp's fire star spread, the mecha that Luffy was fighting began to melt, as did the restraints from the other giant that Tani only now noticed. Luffy grinned, sucker punching Mr 3 in the face and launching him into the brush behind them.

"Tani!" Luffy shouted at the girl, stretching his arms over to her shoulders. The girls face heated up as he latched onto her like before, only this time he had no shirt on! She almost missed him telling her to pursue Mr 3. "Go go go!" he cheered. Tani shook her head to remove her flustered thoughts and began her pursuit of the dumb man with the flaming hair.

The pair traversed the greenery, Luffy focused on the turning while Tani propelled them forward. It was a pretty neat system for them.

"I see him!" Luffy called out... Only for them to face an army of Mr 3's. Tani looked at them all with wide eyes.

"Hahahahaa can you guess which one is the real-" Mr 3 didn't even finish before Luffy launched a gum gum pistol into the man's face. Tani blinked a couple times before turning to him in awe.

"How?" she motioned at the fallen enemy, then back at Luffy in a repeated motion. Luffy laughed.

"Instinct I guess," he answered with a shrug. Tani shook her head with a humoured breath. Her arms slipping out of her jacket and tossing it over Luffy's head. He gave her a quizzical look.

"Just... Just put it on man," she sputtered. Luffy did as she asked, making her face feel even hotter now that she was wearing something that belonged to her... Maybe that was a dumb idea!

"It's warm," he commented, wrapping it around himself tighter. Tani looked away, slapping her cheeks to calm herself. What the hell was wrong with her? It's just Luffy! Why was she so flustered? He jumped on her back again, arm extended with his fist balled. "Yosh! Let's go back to the others," he declared. Tani nodded in silence. Skating back to the rest of the crew.

...

"Sanji where have you been?" Nami asked as the crew walked back to the ship. Sanji smiled and waved at the crew (the women of the crew).

"Ah Nami my love-" he began before his face exploded into a red colour... Oh right she had no shirt on! Tani pulled her bag off and tossed the windbreaker inside it, onto Nami. Maybe she should have done that earlier but nobody seemed to remember that detail while they trekked through the jungle. Nami shot her a thankful look.

"Anyway," Nami said, "Sanji where were you? Why weren't you with Tani and Zoro?" she inquired.

"The shitty swordsman got lost, so Tani dearest and I had to split up to find the moron," Sanji explained, Zoro growled in the background but was ignored. "Anyway, I found some wax house and had a pleasant conversation with a Mr 0 on the den den mushi," he said casually. Vivi gasped, everyone looked at her.

"Mr 0?! But... But!" she looked shocked. Nami pat her back in a comforting manner. "What did he say? What did you say?!" she asked him with fear. Sanji blew smoke into the air.

"Told him that the straw hat pirates were taken care of, they shouldn't bother us for a while." Sanji said proudly. Everyone looked relieved. "I also found this," he commented, tossing what looked like a log pose in Nami's direction. The red head caught it and gasped. Tani looked at it, the name Alabasta written on the bottom.

"Good work Sanji!" Tani praised. The cook twirled and rambled about said praise, which everyone ignored. Nami looked at Vivi with excitement.

"We can head right to Alabasta now," she smiled at the blue haired girl. Everyone seemed excited at the thought. The crew boarded the ship and set sail (after Sanji and Zoro argued about who actually won the hunting contest).

Tani turned to find Usopp standing in the middle of the deck with a thoughtful look on his face. His eyes sparkling with conviction.

"What's up Usopp?" Tani asked with a tap to his shoulder. The sniper blinked and turned to her, crossing his arms and laughing triumphantly.

"I've decided that one day, I want to go to Elbaf," he declared. Tani tilted her head.

"Elbaf?" she asked curiously. Igniting the light within Usopp too unseen heights.

"The land of the giants! An island full of the bravest warriors of the sea." he said wishfully. His dream seeming much more warning reach. Tani felt her soul bursting with excitement at the thought.

"I'm sure we can make a stop there on the way to the one piece," Tani grinned. Usopp laughed with triumph, rubbing under his nose with a cheeky grin.

"Oi, Little pirates," A booming voice called out, shaking the very boat they stood on. Eyes turned to face the source of the voice.

The two giants that ruled this land stood before the exit of the island, Luffy and Usopp waved to bid them farewell. The giants stood tall and proud, brandishing their weapons.

"There's a reason most of you tinies don't make it passed this island." Dorry called out. Swishing his sword down with ease. "There's a beast that rules the coast of this island." he continued.

"Continue straight, don't diverge from that direction. You understand straw hat?" Brogy instructed, Luffy nodded and turned his gaze back to the open ocean.

The sea began rumbling and rippling, a massive goldfish emerged from the depths with its maw opened wide. The Going Merry continued straight, right into the mouth of the beast.

"Luffy! We're going to get eaten! We need to turn around," Nami panicked.

"They said to keep going straight, so we're doing that." Luffy reminded her.

The light slowly disappeared from the crews sight. This felt like the whole Laboon situation all over again. Tani felt herself latching onto Usopp's hand. He held it tight, just as nervous as she was.

Slash!

Light filled the crews vision, as the insides of the goldfish split open to reveal a now cleanred ocean.

"Good luck tiny pirates!" the giants called out together while waving the broken hilts of their weapons.

"That's the power of a great warrior of the sea," Usopp said softly to himself. His grip of Tani's hand tightened as she tears dripped from his eyes. A smile on his face. "One day I'm going to find Elbaf," he promised himself. Tani knocked her shoulder into his and gave him a big smile.

"Alright crew! Set a course for Alabasta," Nami commanded. The crew cheered in affirmation.

Onwards! To the desert kingdom.


	11. Chapter 11

"Hey Nami? You're not looking so bright are you OK?" Tani commented to the navigator who was breathing heavily when trying to get out of bed. Nami turned to the concerned tracker and waved her off.

"I'm fine," Nami said with a wispy voice. Her sweaty forehead and flushed cheeks said otherwise, but Tani wouldn't pester her about it. "Have you seen Vivi? I need to ask her some questions about Alabasta," Nami asked.

"I think she's gone to relax on the deck, she probably needs time to breath since we're about to go all 'saving the country from a civil war'... It must be nerve wrecking if you ask me," Tani rambled, pulling out a shirt from a set of draws and slipping it on. Nami nodded and sluggishly pulled herself out of bed and wobbled out the door, Tani's concerned eyes watched her the whole time.

...

"Nami!" the fearful cries of Vivi called out, interrupting the daily activities of the crew. Everyone rushed to the aid of their weakened navigator laying on the floor in a feverish mess. "Who's a doctor?" Vivi cried, pulling Nami onto her lap to make the sickly women more comfortable. The crew looked at each other, then pointed at Nami. Vivi's face blanked.

"We need a doctor! This fever doesn't seem normal," Vivi said shakily. Nami shook her head, pulling herself off the ground and standing up painfully. Her hands gripping the railing of the Merry with whitened knuckles. "Nami hold still, you aren't well," Vivi stated.

"We... We can't stop, I'm fine... Really," Nami struggled to reassure. Nobody bought it. Nami glared, "We can't stop, didn't you all see the papers this morning. Alabasta is on the brink of a civil war, we need to get there as fast as possible," Nami sounded desperate. Vivi looked pale, a flash of emotions flew across her face. Landing on a face of determination.

"You're right, we do need to get to Alabasta as fast as possible," Vivi parroted, a small smile crawled onto her face. "Captain, set your courses for the closest island, we're finding a doctor," she smiled, turning to the navigator who sighed and smiled weakly back. Luffy grinned and commanded as Vivi had requested. The crew set to work, while they left Nami to rest for the day.

The boat was set on course for the closest island. The crew decided to try and relax for for the ride there, but worry for Nami's condition lingered in all their minds.

"I hope she didn't catch anything contagious, I would rather avoid flu season this year," Tani spoke aloud while messing around with a yo-yo. Luffy looked curious about her random statement.

"Flu season? Do you get sick often?" he asked, leaning forward from his spot atop the Merry's head. Tani gave him a nod.

"Sorta, it's a yearly thing. Do you not have flu season?" she responded. Luffy shook his head. "Well if I think about it... Your out to sea all the time rather than cluttered in huge cities. So that space would probably make it harder to catch the flu or stomach bugs," she thought aloud. Luffy looked like his head was gonna explode from processing all that information. Tani laughed, spinning her yo-yo's absentmindedly.

"Sounds boring," Luffy stated bluntly, Tani giggled and nodded in agreement. Luffy lazed around, looking at Tani with a soft smile. "Sailing the seas with nakama is the best," he sighed happily, closing his eyes and sunbathing. Tani couldn't agree more.

The pair remained silent for the rest of the morning. At around lunch time they went to check on Nami, who had gotten worse. Not even Luffy's silly (and down right terrifying) faces could put a smile on the sickly girls face. It wasn't a pretty sight... Tani felt knots curl and form in her stomach at the deathly look of pain and agony on Nami's face. It was awful... Sanji looked depressed when serving her lunch, which she failed to eat. Vivi didn't leave Nami's side for the whole day.

"She hasn't woken up since late this morning," Vivi sounded like she was on the brink of tears. Tani sighed and left the room after Vivi's update on Nami's state. It made her feel uncomfortable, she hadn't been in a situation like this since her mother was in hospital for pneumonia. Man she hated the cold...

"Hey! Guys check this out," Usopp called from the deck. Everyone jumped up and ran for the front of the ship. Only to get slapped in the face with an icy breeze and a face full of snow! What the hell? It was sunny like 20 minutes ago! Luffy didn't seem bothered until someone pointed out his lack of warm clothing. The captain ran back inside to grab a coat.

"Am I going crazy? Or does it look like some guy is floating on the water?" Usopp pointed at the jester looking dude just chilling on the ocean. Tani had to rub his eyes.

"What the actual-" Tani started. The guy rose from the ocean, standing atop a giant submarine... Of course they have submarines in this world! Why wouldn't they. Tani was so lost in her stupid brain that she didn't realize that the submarine had opened up and a gangplank lowered down.

A huge hippo of a man waddled out and boarded their ship, his footsteps heavy. A crew that looked more like royal armed guards followed closely behind in a swarm. Surrounding all crew members out on deck.

The large man didn't say a word as he took a look around the boat, his eyes hungry with greed. What was he doing? Was he going to try a take over? Because he seemed to have a perfectly fine submarine. Actually a submarine would be so useful in a world full of pirates, so a capture of the Merry wouldn't be useful for this crew.

"This vessel looks simply delicious," the chubby man commented. Tani's face blanked. Delicious... What a strange way to describe a boat.

What is he gonna do? eat the-

Chomp

of course he bit the boat! Of course he actually meant to eat the boat! Why could Tani ever catch a break in this god damn ocean?!

"Dont eat Merry!" Luffy shouted angrily at the man who was loudly chewing on the chunk of the ship his massive gob managed to chomp off the Merry. Luffy rolled up the sleeve of his newly acquired red coat, ready to take a crack at the new foe.

The small army of men who were surrounding the Straw hats started attacking the crew, Luffy was quick to knock out anyone in his way. Zoro and Sanji being just as quick as their captain. Tani and Usopp decided to work together.

Usopp handed Tani some Tabasco stars and tape, the girl got to work quickly taping the hot sauce demons onto the sides of her both yo-yos. This was gonna hurt.

Usopp climbed onto Tani's shoulders, though she didn't mind, she found it funny that she was now the crews piggy backer.

Usopp shot star after star, not missing a target no matter how much Tani wobbled and moved while she slung her yo-yo's around with fiery results. Men cried out in pain as the burn of the Tabasco invaded their senses. The sound of the hippo guys whiny voice entered their ears.

"Do you know who I am! I'm the king of this kingdom! Wapol!" big guts bellowed. Luffy huffed, throwing his arms back to prepare an attack.

"I don't care, you bit Merry so I'm gonna kick your ass!" he declared, jumping towards Wapol. Tani was back to fending off a small group of goons with Usopp, to really be paying attention to Luffy's fight. Sanji's legs were flying around, while Zoro's blades clashed against the weapons of the soldier's. The sound of shots being fired from above Tani's shoulders, followed by men shouting in shock as their clothes set on fire, were scattered around the deck.

Wapol opened his mouth wide, Luffy flew in much to the concern of Tani and the boys on deck. Who all froze as they watched the guy chew on the rubber man. Luffy's arms were still held out in preparation for a-

"Gum gum bazooka!" he shouted, muffled by the closed mouth of Wapol. Luffy smacked the man right in the gut, his mouth unlatched around the captain. The bazooka launched the man off the boat, sending him flying into the chilly oceans afar.

His followers scrambled in a panic to chase after the man who probably had a devil fruit because that mouth was way too big for any regular human. The boat was freed from all the goons, leaving the crew to stand in confusion at the random encounter.

"Well... I guess that confirms that there's an island nearby," Usopp broke the silence with a positive comment, unmounting the girl's shoulders. Tani went to make a comment but a cold wind blew against her exposed skin... Oh right it's freezing! The heat from the fire stars Usopp was firing must have made her forget.

Tani excused herself and ran back into the girls cabin, pulling out the huge purple winter coat she brought from the other dimension store. As well as swapping out her lucky cap for a warm beanie, earmuffs, gloves and a thick wooly scarf. She looked like the stay puff marshmallow man... A very grumpy marshmallow man. They better find a doctor soon, she hated this place already. The shallow breaths of Nami in the room made Tani feel sick to her stomach.

"Hang in there Nami," she whispered to the women, who groaned in pain. Vivi opened the door to the room and entered with a tray of food that was probably for Nami.

"How's she holding up?" Tani asked the blue haired princess. Vivi gave a soft sigh.

"She hasn't broken her fever yet, and her breathing has gotten more shallow... I don't know what to do," Vivi replied, her lips quivering as tears filled the corner of her eyes. Tani looked at Nami and felt her throat block up.

"Nami's one of the strongest women I've ever met in my life," Tani smiled comfortingly to Vivi. The girl looked at her with glossy eyes. "If anyone is gonna beat this flu, it's Nami," Tani assured. Vivi nodded, looking at Nami with an expression of hope. She lowered to the ground and moved to change the wet rag on Nami's head. Tani took this as her cue to leave.

Tani opened the door to find the deck covered in a heavy layer of snow. Luffy and Usopp were making snowmen cheerfully. It looked like fun but god did Tani want nothing more than to curl up in a blanket and watch a movie.

"How about a warm beverage for a lovely lady?" Sanji's suave voice asked. The dark skinned girl turned around to find a steaming cup of what looked and smelled like hot chocolate being handed to her by the god sent that is Sanji. She pulled her scarf down from her mouth and thanked the cook. Grabbing the mug and savouring the warmth it provided her hands.

"Tani Tani! Come make a snowman," Luffy called out, waving from behind his snowman. Tani smiled reluctantly and shook her head. Luffy pouted for a split second... Before he had a mischievous look and ducked behind the cover of his snowman. What was he-

Thwack!

A snowball collided with the unsuspecting victims face. Luffy's laughter filled the air, with some restrained snickers from Usopp. Tani remained frozen for a solid minute, she was mad... Mad and cold. If he wanted a war, he was gonna get one.

She stood up slowly, her hand swiping the snowy residue from her chilled skin. Her eyes burned with annoyance. Luffy was too busy rolling in the snow laughing his ass off to notice her change in mood. Tani quietly scooped a handful of snowballs into her hands, holding them behind her back. She waltzed over in a nonchalant fashion, a sickly sweet smile on her face. Luffy looked up at her with a successful grin... He doesn't suspect a thing.

Tani got in a little closer.

Usopp saw the snow behind her back and started laughing harder, not saying a word to the captain.

Almost there.

Luffy never saw it coming.

Now!

She pulled her arsenal of snowballs from behind her back and slammed them all into Luffy. Knocking the boy back onto the ground in a blanket of snow. She turned away with a maniacal laugh... Only for Luffy to throw another snowball at the back of her head with such force that she fell face first into the snow.

Oh it's on!

Tani grabbed fists full of snow and piffed them at the rubber man, who avoided her attempts to hit him again. This lead to an all out war between the girl, the captain and the sniper. Usopp never missed a shot, he was probably the winner of the snowball fight. That didn't really matter because the three were giggling and enjoying themselves for hours. This was probably the first time that Tani had ever not been bothered by the cold.

Dinner was pretty... Empty without Nami around, it just felt wrong. Her smile, her yelling when Luffy stole her food, her laugh at all the crews shenanigans. Everyone in the room seemed down. Even Luffy couldn't muster up the energy to steal as much food as he normally did. The atmosphere set Tani off, the girl slammed her hands on the table and stood up loudly. A bit over dramatic but Tani didn't care.

"This is just wrong... Nami is all alone in the girls cabin," Tani said solemnly. Lifting her eyes to look at everyone in the room, the boys looked pretty bummed out. Even Zoro seemed off, and that guy had the emotional range of a G.I Joe action figure. Vivi looked just as sad as she had all day. Tani perked up as a thought bubbled in her brain. "Why don't we all go and keep her company tonight?" she suggested with a grin. Everyone seemed to brighten at the thought. Guess it's a sleepover then.

...

Soft snoring filled Nami's clogged ears, her senses barely returning to her as she lifted her heavy head to stare at the room.

It was dark, with the only light coming from the moons light from outside. Her eyes barely focused but she found herself staring at her crew mates. Well most of them, since Sanji was missing, probably on watch. She smiled softly at the sight around her.

Zoro was resting on the beam in the middle of the room, his swords held in his arms as he sleeps silently. Usopp snored in the carpet beside Zoro's feet, splayed out like a starfish, his hair clouding around his head.

Tani's bed was occupied, the girls chest rising and falling with every even breath, a stark difference from the restless nights she suffered from when she first boarded the Merry. Half on top of her was Luffy, with his lower half falling off the bed. He also snored rather loudly, and his hat was placed on top of Tani's cap.

Vivi was sleeping at the foot of Nami's bed, her eyes dark with bags. She must have stayed up as long as she could. Nami felt her heart swell.

Her eyes landed on a crudely folded piece of paper on her bedside table. A messy drawing that looked like Luffy's handiwork was on the cover. It looked like an orange octopus with six deformed limbs and blue stripes... Was that meant to be her? She giggled softly at the picture, looking at Luffy with warmth.

Nami opened the card and found an array of get well messages, all in different styles of handwriting. Along with a picture that was clearly drawn by Usopp that caught her likeness much better. She couldn't stop smiling, her cheeks hurt so much from all the joy she felt when rereading the sweet messages from her loving crew.

She couldn't have asked for a better bunch of mismatched nakama.

...

"Land ahoy!" Tani cheered from the crows nest, waving her arms to grab everyone's attention. Every able-bodied crew member ran to the front of the boat and looked at the massive mountain in the centre of the island. "Let's get that doctor!" Tani said excitedly.

The boat made its way inward to dock. Sanji went into the cabin to grab and escort Nami, because he didn't trust Luffy to do it since he's as reckless as a bull in a china store. The boat slowly sailed inland, the shadows of trees being obscured by the snowy wind... Wait a sec? The trees are moving? The small shadowy blobs coloured and revealed themselves to be people... People with guns.

"Leave!" a man shouted, his gun pointed towards the crew of the ship. A couple dozen men surrounded the banks of the lake, all of them aiming for those aboard the ship. Luffy held his shoulder but didn't move to attack just yet. Vivi stood beside Luffy with a concerned look in her eyes. "Get out of our country you filthy pirates!" another man demanded.

Luffy seemed to be growing visibly upset with their demands. His face looking so threatening that a man panicked and fired towards the captain. Vivi pushed Luffy out of the way, the bullet grazing her shoulder. A small patch of blood stained her clothes, her hand holding the stinging wound. Usopp and Tani dropped to her side, Luffy looked angry now.

"What the hell?! You dare hurt my nakama! You'll pay for this" Luffy growled fiercely, raising his fists and preparing to jump up and throttle the nervous men. Even Tani felt a shiver down her spine. Vivi winced but glared at the captain.

"Luffy stop!" Vivi commanded, Luffy halted and stared at her. "You call yourself a leader? What leader resorts to violence?" she sounded saddened. Luffy's face dropped, his malicious demeanour shifting to that of worry. Vivi turned back to the crowd of people, bowing to the ground.

"Please, help us. Our navigator is very ill, sh-she... She could die," Vivi's voice shook with concern and desperation. Luffy looked at the people and bowed his upper body.

"Please, save my nakama," he asked simply, his voice sounded hurt. A mix of the situation being stressful and Vivi's comment striking a cord. Tani turned to Usopp who looked concerned.

"Wait," a deep, stoic voice called to the crowd. A large man in green armour called to the people, who all backed away to let him pass. "How can we trust you? Mere moments ago you threatened the people of this land. How do we know you won't just rampage our homes?" the man asked. Luffy tensed, scrunching up his face before lifting his head and staring deeply into the man's eyes.

"Please, she needs help... Nami needs help," he pleaded. Tani had never seen him in such a state of distress. It was unnerving to say the least. Sanji walked onto deck with Nami piggy backing on him. The green armoured man turned to look at her and his eyes softened.

"Let them through," he said to the people, who all backed down. Some even offering to help them transport the sick navigator. Zoro stayed behind to guard the ship with Carue, the rest of the crew followed the armed men.

The trip to Bighorn (the town) was silent. Luffy was lost in thought, his face looking like a blank canvas. Tani bumped her shoulder against his and shot him a soft smile. He looked up at her, his blank face lightened slightly. Tani bumped into him again, Luffy's eyes flashed playfully. His shoulder bumped into hers, like a friendly game to lighten the mood.

"Something bothering you Luffy?" Tani asked. Her voice quiet so nobody else could hear them. "You seem down," she informed. Luffy looked conflicted with answering.

"Vivi said I'm not a good leader," he huffed. "I'm not a bad captain, my nakama are alive and I keep them safe," he said. Tani sighed.

"There's more to being a leader than keeping your people safe," She advised. Luffy blinked at that, "To be a good leader, you need to be able to handle any situation thrown at you. You also need to be thinking about how your methods will affect the rest of your people." she continued.

"There was this guy back home from this place called Germany. Now he was a leader that used only violence to get his way. He ended up causing the whole world to go to war. Many people died, because he chose to use violence when violence wasn't the answer that time." Tani told, that's a very simple way of explaining WWII but it got the job done. Luffy nodded in understanding. "Violence can be the answer sometimes though. Like with Don Krieg, or the Mr 3 guy," Tani explained. Which Luffy perked up at.

"So I'm not a bad captain?" he asked. Tani shook her head.

"Of course not, you just need some more experience." she smiled, "The crew will help you. A good leader knows when to lean on their nakama's shoulders." she said softly. Only to have her attention drawn towards Dalton. The kind man in green armour.

"We should be arriving shortly," Dalton informed the straw hat crew. The tension seemed to ease up as the bright lights glittered in the distance. It looked like Christmas, Tani thought to herself with a childish smile. Does this world celebrate Christmas?

Luffy glanced at the girls awestruck face and found himself feeling warmer, his stomach did some weird flips... Maybe he was hungry.

The crew tumbled into a small hut. A man who wasn't a doctor but still had some kind of medical training looked over Nami's condition and looked defeated.

"It looks like she's going to need a professional, but Dr Kureha isn't down from the mountain at the moment," he stated. The crew looked among each other. Why couldn't some regular doctor look at her?

"What about your local doctor? Or a doctor in a town nearby?" Tani voiced her thoughts. Dalton shook his head.

"This land hasn't had any doctors since the rule of Wapol. Who banished all but 20 of the best doctors, and appointed them to work exclusively for him," Dalton explained.

Of course! The closest island doesn't have doctors except the one on the giant ass mountain! What kind of unlucky hex had been placed on this crew?

"Wait did you say Wapol?" Sanji asked. All eyes on him, "Wasn't that the guy who attacked us?" he questioned. Luffy snickered.

"Oh I threw that guy into the ocean," he said, his words more ominous that he probably intended. Dalton wanted to say something but Usopp beat him to the punch.

"Anyway," Usopp interrupted, "You're saying that the only doctor around is the one on the top of the mountain?" the sniper asked, Dalton nodded in confirmation. Everyone's faces dropped... Everyone except Luffy.

"Let's just climb the mountain," he stated like it was the most reasonable plan on earth. Everyone stared at him with blank expressions. Usopp being the first to vocalise his opinion.

"Are you crazy?! How are you meant to climb a mountain? Let alone bring Nami who is so sick she can barely keep her eyes open!" Usopp stressed, trying to reason with his crazy captain.

"The mountain is also inhabited by Lapahn's. They're very dangerous creatures who are extremely territorial. It wouldn't be wise to make such a journey," Dalton stated. Luffy clenched his fists.

"What else can we do? We don't know when the doctor will next show up. So we should go to the doctor," Luffy reasoned. He had a point, and if anyone could do it. It would be Luffy.

"Lu-ffy..." Nami's weak voice interrupted. All eyes were on her. "Let's... Let's do it," she smiled, Luffy grinned from ear to ear and held out a hand to high five the navigator, with a clap of the hands, the deal was sealed. Usopp found his jaw hitting the floor.

"You guys are insane! Nami I expected better from you," Usopp teased. Nami huffed softly with humour, before closing her eyes again.

"I'm coming with you," Sanji declared, making his way to Nami. "I can't trust you to hold her delicately," Sanji pulled Nami onto his back, the girl limply laid on him while Usopp went to tie a rope around the pair to prevent Nami from slipping off Sanji's back.

"I'm coming too, you guys are going to need all the help you can get if you wanna make it to that mountain in one piece," Tani decided with little thought, Luffy smiled at her and nodded.

"Usopp and I can stay here and wait for you guys to come back," Vivi said, Usopp let out a sigh of relief. Luffy nodded in confirmation, walking to the door. Tani quickly pulled off her earmuffs and shoved them into Nami's head. She needed them more than the tracker did anyway.

"Let's go find that doctor!" Luffy commanded, Sanji and Tani nodded and followed behind Luffy who was leading the way. The chill of the winter air nipping at the four travellers on a mission to save their nakama.

...

"It's so cold..." Tani grumbled, trudging her legs through the knee deep snow. How the hell Luffy was running around in jorts! She would never know. "If I see that Wapol guy again, I'm going to shove his face into the snow and drown him..." Tani declared into her thick scarf. Luffy laughed, wrapping his warm arm around her shoulder. Tani melted at the touch, he was so warm!

"Hurry up Luffy," Sanji snapped at the captain, his face shifted into a more pleasant one when addressing Tani. "If you're so cold why not embrace me?" he offered, Tani appreciated the offer.

"You should focus on Nami's warmth, I'd just be stealing it," she replied, Sanji looked back at the napping Nami on his back and shifted her into a more comfortable position. Tani turned back to Luffy and slung an arm around his shoulders.

The white of the snow shifted a little from a mound within Tani's sight. A large rabbit with babyish features poked it head out and stared at them. It's teeth bare and snarling with squeaks. Was that one of the Lapahn things?

The rabbit shot forward, attempting to snatch at the groups limbs. Tani would feel bad if she hit a baby, plus the other two didn't seem bothered by the creatures constant attacks at their feet and arms.

The baby Lapahn? charged at them for a solid 30 minutes before Luffy got feed up and punched it into the distance when it almost knocked Tani over for the eleventh time. Tani felt a wave of panic hit her, didn't Dalton mention they were dangerous creatures? He didn't give a description of the beasts but it was probably a good idea to keep an eye on the area. Hopefully that little guy wasn't actually a Lapahn...

"What's wrong? You still cold?" Luffy asked. Tani looked at the questioning boy and gave him a reassuring look.

"Well yeah, but I'll live," she assured, Luffy nodded and turned back to walking up the mountain base. Tani kept her eyes on the surrounding area. It felt like the snow had eyes, like they were being watched for every step they made. Did that snow just move or was she imagining things? Maybe she should voice her concerns? With a shaky breath she opened her mouth-

A white blur swiped at the dark skinned girls face, her body jerked backwards. The white furry paw clipped the tip of her long fringe, which flew backwards with her. Luffy turned back to look at her, watching in surprise at the large form of a rabbit that loomed over Tani's downed self. The winded girl remained stuck in the snow. If he didn't act now, she would probably die.

"Gum gum pistol!" he launched a punch at the beast, sending it into the gathering pack of rabbit monsters. He ran towards Tani and hauled her up, the dizzy girl looked around in a daze before her brain registered what just happened. Luffy was launching shot after shot, pistols and getting guns towards the massive beasts that surrounded them. Sanji was a shirt distance away, dodging every attack sent his way. Carefully not moving the sickly Nami on his back. He wasn't going to last long like that.

Tani grabbed Luffy by the collar of his jacket and dragged him away from the fight to catch up with Sanji before he was too overwhelmed.

Sanji jumped and dodged as much as he could, not letting a single blow hit Nami nor himself. Luffy sent his fists flying at the creatures attacking Sanji, while Tani whipped her yo-yo's at them. The Duo fended off the creatures as best they could. They were extremely durable and managed to tank multiple blows before retreating and letting another one of their pack take over on the front lines. Tani felt her arms start to strain from the force she used behind each toss. She really needed stronger ends to her yo-yo's...

Then the Lapahn's turned to retreat...

Tani was suspicious, they were handling themselves rest well against the small duo... So why did they pull back. For now, Luffy and Tani stayed on either side of Sanji and Nami. Keeping their eyes peeled for any more surprise attacks.

"How's Nami?" Tani asked with a huffed, rubbing at her sore arms. At least she was warming up some more from all the moving.

"She's burning up, I think she cold is getting to her," Sanji said with slight panic in his normally suave tone. Tani felt herself run faster at that. They can't lose Nami to some stupid cold!

Her mind brought up some unpleasant memories, the beeping of a hospital monitor, her mother's raspy breaths, the blinding white and sanitary smell. A cold chill clawed at her back. She didn't want to remember that. Not now! Not ever! Curse the cold and it's stupid making people sick ways!

*Rumble*

"What was that?!" Tani panicked. Luffy looked up and pointed towards the top of the hill they were racing up.

A large number of Lapahn were rallied at the top of the hill. They stood in a line, like a barricade to prevent the group of pirates from passing by. They then proceeded to jump up and down, the impact of their jumps sent shockwaves through the earth below them. The crackly of snow shifting sent Tani's stomach dropping.

*Rumble*

"Shit! The bastards are starting an avalanche!" she screamed, the cigarette in Sanji's mouth dropped as they looked on in horror at the rushing wave of snow racing down the mountain to submerge them.

"What are we gonna do?!" Tani panicked. The snow sliding faster and faster. Luffy bounced to her side, ready to take action.

"There's cover over there!" Sanji pointed out towards a small alcove that would provide shelter from the some. The four of them made a run for that spot. As they approached, it appeared that the spot wasn't going to be big enough for all of them. It would probably only fit two people safely. Sanji cussed under his breath.

"Look there's a big tree," Luffy shouted to Tani. He must have noticed the size of the alcove. "Tani let's go!" he grinned. Telling Sanji all he needed to know, he bolted towards the safe spot with Nami in tow.

Luffy looped his arm around Tani's waist, while the other grabbed the tree top. He launched himself with Tani in his arm into the tree. Tani screamed rather pathetically, still not a fan of heights at all.

Luffy's hold of her didn't loosen when they landed atop the tree, her arms found themselves wrapped around his neck so she didn't fall. A small whimper of fear left her throat as she looked down at the rushing snow the approached the tree.

"I don't think this tree is gonna hold-" Tani choked out, cutting her sentence short when the snow collided hard with the tree trunk.

The tree jerked forward, turning onto its side and sliding down the hill like a massive sled. The snow creeping up on the bottom half of the make shift sled. Luffy kept a hold on one of Tani's hands now, the pair having to spread out on the thin trunk to stop themselves from being engulfed in the snowy ocean below. Tani had a really good sense of balance and didn't break a sweat when standing on both feet with her legs planted firm.

Now the issue with a massive tree being your method of transport would have to be lack of turning. So come the forest of trees that the pair was fast approaching, and they had to look on in shared panic (Tani more than Luffy) at the impending doom of the situation.

Luffy looked for any stable trees or rocks that he could use as stable ground for Tani and himself. Tani was silently praying to whatever god was up there that cursed her with this adventure.

"I've got it!" Luffy shouted, his hold on Tani's gloved hand tightened as he ran up the stem of the tree, launching his arm forward and grabbing a rock just out of the snows raging waves.

It was only when Luffy had grabbed the rock, when Tani noticed the pulling on her neck. She turned in shock to find her scarf had caught on a stray branch.

Shit!

Luffy launched himself forwards before the tracker could correct the issue. Her neck caught on the choking of the scarf while her hand slipped from the glove that Luffy held tightly in his grasp. The look of horror in Luffy's eyes when he noticed the lack of Tani in his hold was something that would haunt her for however long she would live.

The tree continued to sail down, now with Tani strapped to it. She was quick to untangle herself from the scarf. Exposing her neck to the harsh cold of the island. Time seemed to slow down. Luffy was half way to the rock, his eyes wide and shaking, his mouth open as he screamed her name. His free arm was already throwing itself towards her in an attempt to save her. An attempt that was all in vain.

Tani reached out to grab it, he was so close she could almost feel the warmth of his fingertips.

Then the tree hit the forest at the base of the hill. Tani's body went fly backwards, her final view being the terror in Luffy's face, the shattered remains of the tree she once called a safe haven? Well barely a safe haven... And the snow that would consume her.

The white prison crushed and smothered her body she couldn't move, she couldn't breath. It was dark and horrifying. She was really going to die like this?

...Oh how she hated the cold...


	12. Chapter 12

Cold... It's so cold. The thought repeated over and over in the frozen girls mind. Her limbs grew numb, she could barely stay conscious. Was she even conscious? Was she dreaming? Astral projecting? Maybe she was dead. Tani honestly didn't have the energy to even think at this point, all she knew was she was really, very, undoubtedly cold.

She thought she heard the muffled cries of people she knew calling her name, the voices were desperate and distressed.

I'm here! It's cold please help me! I'm stuck! Don't leave me! She cried in her mind, her voice frozen just like the rest of her body.

It was dark... So very dark and cold. Like a nightmare world where she was drowning. The crunching of the snow above her signalled that her nakama were near.

Please help me! I'm right here! Please! She couldn't even cry. The world dulled as her limbs had done moments ago, everything seemed so quiet... So very very quiet.

...

Her body bounced and swayed, her arms dangled limply in front of her eyes while she body shivered violently. Sandaled feet imprinted in the snow beneath her.

Tani tried to move her arms, turn her head, move anything! But her body ached so immensely that it wasn't worth the effort. She just blinked her eyes tiredly while her world went quiet once again.

...

Tani woke up again, finding herself suspended god knows how high. Her waist was plastered against a warm body, tied there by a red coat that was loosely knotted around her companions hips.

The sound of pained grunts and bells ringing caressed her ears in a dull way. The swaying made her dizzy.

"Uwahh?" Tani groaned softly, but it was enough to alert the man carrying her.

"Tani?" he called to her, loud and clear against the wind.

Luffy? He found her!

"La-" but the name died on her breath as a wave of nausea hit her. She held her mouth shut, leaning against Luffy's back and pressing deeper into it.

"Hold on Tani, almost there," Luffy promised. Tani nodded into his shoulder. Her eyelids heavy, sleep once again took over her.

...

Tani launched herself forward, her breathing was heavy and uneven. Tears rolled down her face as she choked on the air that flooded her lungs. A cold shiver ran up and down her spine, instinctively she pulled the blanket around her closer... Wait a blanket? She looked around at her surroundings. Grey stone walls lined with shelves upon shelves of bottles and jars, multiple white beds lined up with one another. It looked like a medieval hospital.

Tani grabbed her head as a killer headache knocked against her skull. Her hiss of pain echoed back at her, she was alone in the room. Letting out a sigh she went to reach for her backpack, every muscle screamed in protest but she didn't care. If she was bed ridden, she was going to entertain herself. Half way down she heard the sound of a door being opened. The person entering must have been small because their foot steps sounded light.

A shadow that looked... Nonhuman? Danced across the wall. Tani froze on the spot. Watching the shadow get closer and closer. She sucked in a breath, ready to see what was coming towards her.

What she saw... Was not quite what she was expecting.

A raccoon? No It had antlers, and it wasn't ugly like a moose. It must be a deer. What on earth was a Disney's Rudolph the red... No wait that's a blue nose. So it's Rudolph the blue nosed reindeer.

The little guy wore a pink top hat with a white X in the centre. They looked about the height of a Tani's leg when standing straight. They had the fluffy appeal of a teddy bear that made her just wanna snuggle them so bad.

Rudolph didn't seem aware that she was awake yet, their breathing was heavy like they'd been running. Their hands were holding onto a wall, almost like they were hiding but the wrong way. Tani let out a small chuckle.

"I think you're meant to go the other way around," Tani pointed out. The deer squeaked and slowly moved until their body was covered and their head peaked out slightly. The door burst open and in came hurricane Luffy, bringing chaos and destruction in his path.

Luffy noticed Tani was awake. He stood in place while still running on the spot, his face lit up like Christmas lights.

"Tani! You're awake!" he yelled, Tani grabbed her head with a wince of pain. "Have you seen Chopper run through here?" Luffy asked. "He's this little deer monster than looks really cool but is small right now I think," he said quickly. Tani blinked to register the words.

"Chopper?" Tani questioned, her eyes landed on the widened eyes of the deer in question. "I haven't seen anyone by the name of Chopper, I only just woke up," she offered. Luffy let out a puffy pout. Chopper on the other hand, sighed with relief.

"Mind if I ask why you're looking for a deer by the name Chopper?" she asked, curious about this little deer. Luffy gave her his signature laugh.

"He's gonna be our new nakama," he declared... Well that was not what she expected. "He's a doctor! Can you believe that? How cool," Luffy justified with awe. Tani was just surprised to hear that he was the doctor.

"Wait so he's the doctor that lives on the mountain?" wasn't the doctors name Kureha? Tani rubbed her head as her headache came crashing back full force, "Ugh, last I remember, I was buried under 6ft of snow? I think? how did we get here?" she asked aloud. Luffy's grin dropped a bit.

"Yeah, Sanji and I dug you out of the snow and I carried you up the mountain," he informed, Tani's eyes noticed the bloodied bandages around his hands and feet. So she really was carried up here... How lame.

"Uhm, how are Nami and Sanji?" she moved away from the topic of her avalanche incident. "Could Dr Chopper fix her?" Luffy's mood lifted significantly.

"They're fine, Nami's all better now. Sanji and Nami are both talking to the old lady doctor right now," he answered. Old lady doctor?

"So the deer doctor isn't the doctor we were after?" she asked, Luffy looked confused.

"He lives with this old lady that looks young but has an old woman face," he explained, that didn't really explain the deer being a doctor. "I think he works for her, or with her? I dunno," he said. "But he helped make everyone better, look he even bandaged my hands and feet," he pointed at his feet and waved his hands. Tani felt guilt well up in her stomach, did she cause that?

"Guess I shouldn't have come along then, seems like I was only dead weight," she laughed at herself, guilt present in her tone. Luffy stopped smiling altogether.

"No you're not," he pouted. Tani laughed that bitter laugh again, turning to face her captain.

"Name one thing that I did through that whole trip that you couldn't have done without me," she challenged. Crossing her arms as if she'd already won the argument. Luffy paused, the gears in his head clicked away in thought.

"Does it matter? You came along, and I think its just fine that you did," he answered, looking proud of his answer. "Don't beat yourself up about it," he smiled. Tani felt awkward about the positivity.

"H-hey I think I saw Chopper run past the door, hurry and you might catch him," she lied with feigned excitement, Luffy took the bait and sprinted out the door while calling loudly. Tani sighed in defeat, her head being engulfed in the pillow she was using as a headrest. Once Luffy was completely out of sight, Tani whispered an "all clear," to Chopper.

Chopper looked calmer now, his features were large and plush like. He honest to god looked like a teddy bear from the stuffed toys section. He wandered cautiously closer to her bed, his face holding a level of nervousness and concern.

"How's your head?" he asked! He can talk? Tani was at a loss for words.

"I-uh oh um my... My head? Oh yeah my head haha well yes my head is indeed a head yes it is," she sputtered, getting nowhere she groaned at herself and slapped her cheeks. Refreshing her brain, "Sorry... My head feels like its been crushed by a tonne of freezing cold snow," she breathed. The deer nodded and proceeded to reach up to grab something off one of the shelves. He handed her a small ball with a pill like feel to it.

"Try this, it should help numb the pain a bit. The straw hat guy told us you were buried under snow for over 10 minutes, you're very lucky to be alive," the doctor said. Tani blinked before popping the small ball in her mouth, dry swallowing the pill like object. Hoping to just push that thought into the back of her mind.

"So your Chopper right?" Tani asked curiously. The deer halted in his movements for a second before resuming.

"It's Tony Tony Chopper actually," he answered shyly. "But most people call me Chopper," he added. Tani gave him a grin. He's too cute for words!

"Well Chopper, the name's Tanisha. My friends call me Tani," she held her hand out to shake. Chopper shakily put his hoof in her hand and shook. He was so... So small. Tani had to hold back the squeals of cuteness. "Uh, it would probably be a good idea to make a run for it. Luffy will probably come into this room again," she giggled, already feeling the effects of the medicine.

"Ah! You're right. He's been chasing me for the last hour," Chopper groaned. Tani chuckled.

"That's the captain for ya. Honestly once he's set his mind on something, there's no changing it," she sighed. Chopper wasn't impressed with that idea. Tani reached down to grab her bag, chopper ran over and held it up for her to make it easier to grab.

"Hey, do you like sweets? I wanna thank you for helping my nakama and I," she held out a candy she had from her snack haul. Chopper looked at it curiously, Tani unwrapped it and pushed it closer to him. He sniffed it before grabbing it and popping it in his mouth, squeaking in delight.

Chopper excused himself and left the room to help Dr Kureha. The women was watching over Nami and Sanji (who apparently hurt his back during the climb up) in another room. The relief of knowing Nami was alive and well, was a welcome feeling. However now that Chopper was gone, the room felt lonely. Being alone also left her with her thoughts... And they weren't pretty.

She felt awful for the damage she caused Luffy. The image of his bloodied bandages haunted her brain, shaking her head violently to throw the images into the abyss.

Why did she even bother coming along anyway? She was a nervous wreck at the mere thought of heights, what did she think she was going to do once they made it to the mountain? Walk back? Piggy back off Luffy? There's no way she would have climbed the mountain herself. She had no reason to go along with the fully capable Luffy and Sanji. Yet she decided to tag along anyway, and Luffy didn't mind at all. He even defended her choice when she brought it up.

Now that she thought about it, she would have been better off staying behind with Usopp and Vivi. She didn't help as much as she hoped to, but the thought of not helping Nami as much as she could... If felt like mum all over again.

Her cold body arriving home from a long shift at job number whatever. Her normally glowing black skin lost its luster and dulled with every harsh snow day. Winter that year was awful, the car broke down so mum had to catch the bus or walk to work... Tani clapped her cheeks. The memories scared her. The 911 call, the flashing lights and blaring sirens that followed, the picking up and rolling away of her mother's passed out body that was icy cold to the touch.

Tani felt the tears prickle her eyes. That's why she needed to help, Nami wasn't going to suffer the same way her mother had. She wasn't going to let anyone stay out in the cold while in such a prone state.

She really wanted to take a walk to clear her head-

"Chopper!" Luffy shouted cheerfully while the door to Tani's room burst open. A rush of cold wind from the force of Luffy's entrance, as well as the pair racing around the room. The Road runner style chase left the chilled girl feeling dizzy at the blur of Luffy's red and Chopper's pink and brown. "Join my crew!" Luffy demanded. The little doctor shrieked.

"Leave me alone! I don't wanna!" he cried. Slipping from Luffy grabby hands, Tani covered her eyes with her arm so she didn't need to watch. Maybe she should test her legs out and go for that walk.

Tani immediately regretted moving, the pins and needles that shot through her legs felt like TV static. She put pressure on each foot, bouncing them up and down until the fuzzing started to fade away.

Luffy and Chopper were too distracted chasing or being chased around, so it was easy for Tani to wrap a blanket around her shoulders and start walking out of the room unnoticed.

The hallway she found herself in was more like a massive, round indoor balcony with stairs that connected to a pillar in the middle of a bigger room. There were three levels, with Tani being on the second floor. She decided that her first course of action would be to find a spot that was much warmer to walk around in, because these socks aren't thick enough to feed off the cold from the cobblestone flooring.

She tiptoed around, using only her toes to walk around to avoid as much contact with the cold flooring as possible. When she heard some chatter in one of the doors.

"-He took his own life before the poison could kill him," an older ladies voice spoke solemnly. Tani pushed her ear against the door to hear better. "I've been taking care of the brat since then. We recently moved here once Wapol and his guard ran away," she said with venom at the mention of the previous king.

"Why did he flee?" Nami asked. She's awake! Tani opened the door and stood there with a wide grin on her face. There she spotted Sanji sitting on the end of Nami's bed, Nami was resting in a pair of yellow flannel pyjamas, and there was the old lady that had the body of a young woman in her 20s and the face of a witch.

She looked so cool!

"What the hell are you doing out of bed?" the old lady sneered, her gaze narrowing at Tani. The girl in question rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"I wanted to go for a walk?" she answered. The lady dead pan stared at her. Tani waved her hands around, "My room got really loud because Luffy and Chopper were running around chasing each other," she explained. The murderous gaze of the lady that Tani was guessing was Kureha, lowered.

"That captain of yours is a real pain in the ass. I'm going to staple him to a board if he doesn't stop disturbing my patients." Kureha said with all seriousness. She stood up and walked over to Tani, "That doesn't excuse you for being up, go back to bed now or I'll chain you to a bed," she threatened. Tani felt herself sweat, turning around to walk back to her room. Not before turning around to wave at Nami and Sanji.

"I'm glad you're well again Nami!" Tani grinned. The red head smiled and waved back, Sanji waved as well. He was rather quiet the whole time, thinking about what the doctor had recounted.

Tani closed the door and found herself pausing for a moment, she pressed her head to the door again in the hopes of hearing Kureha sit down. Once the lady did indeed do so, Tani walked away from her room and continued to explore the castle.

She found a big red carpet that lead to a throne room, with all the tapestries and cushioned chairs. Now how could a girl resist the urge to run over and sit on the throne? Answer! She couldn't.

She jogged over and threw her butt onto the comfortable throne, crossing her legs like all the rebel queens she'd seen on TV do. Ahh she felt so cool! Literally and figuratively.

"As my first decree, I elect that all poor people are given $1,000,000 every day during winter," she said in a posh voice. Waving a hand at her imaginary court, "I also declare that school is cancelled and everyone gets a pass," she declared in her royal tone. Snickering to herself as her voice echoed through the room.

"Tani is that you?" Luffy's voice? Echoed back. Tani straightened her back and felt her cheeks flush. Oh my god he heard that... Maybe she could stay quiet and pretend she wasn't here.

*clap clap clap clap*

Luffy's sandals slapped their way towards her. The sound bouncing off the walls and hitting Tani in the ears. Oh my god this is so embarrassing. He's gonna think she's so lame! She thinks she super lame!

"Tani?" Luffy said as he appeared at the entrance of the throne room. Standing there with his arm at his side. He spotted her sitting on the throne, his eyes widening. "There you are! Chopper was worried about you going missing," he told her. Tani slid off the throne and messed around with her hands as Luffy walked closer.

"Sorry, I just wanted to go for a walk," she explained. Luffy was standing right in front of her, holding out his hand for her to take. She placed her gloved hand in his, the other was missing it's glove now that she thought about it. Wonder what happened there. "You and Chopper were so loud in my room that I couldn't think," she laughed to herself.

Luffy stared at the gloved hand in his own with distaste. He dropped it, much to Tani's confusion. What's wrong with her hand? Isn't that what he wanted-

He picked up her ungloved hand and with a satisfied hum, started walking Tani back to the room she needed to rest in. Tani trailed behind him with a trot, the straw hat captain seeming happy with himself.

"Where's Chopper gone?" Tani asked, trying to clear the silence away. Luffy shrugged.

"Dunno, he noticed you were gone and got all panicked about it." Luffy stated. Tugging at Tani's hand to hurry up. She sped up until she was walking along side Luffy.

"I should say sorry shouldn't I?" she sighed. Her breath coming out in a puff of frozen air. It was getting colder and colder as they approached the balcony area. Tani's gloved hand moved to start rubbing at her arms... Where was Luffy's coat?

"Aren't you cold without your coat?" Tani commented, pointing at Luffy's bare arms. The captain blinked at her, looked at his arms, then immediately started shivering at the sight of his bare skin.

"I lost it,"

"How do you lose a coat you were wearing?"

"Oh I was using it as a rope thing when I had to climb the mountain."

"... You're made of rubber... You are literally your own rope."

"I needed my arms and legs to climb,"

"But you just said you used the coat as a rope? For what?"

"To hold you up, so you wouldn't fall of me when I climbed up. It's like that sword and rope thing we did to Sanji so he wouldn't drop Nami,"

Oh...

"Well you can use my blanket if you wanna," Tani offered, already sliding the blanket off her shoulders. How it hadn't fallen off her shoulders as a miracle. It's like her shoulders had velcro on them or something.

Tani wrapped the blanket around Luffy's shoulders and continued walking beside him. He had a dumb look on his face, like he was thinking about something that Tani couldn't quite figure out.

"My-" Luffy started, but was cut short when the sound of a laugh that neither of the pair knew. A voice that blinked on familiar but sat in the tip of their tongues.

"My beautiful castle! What have they done to my beautiful castle!"

The colour drained from the girls face... Didn't Dalton mention that this castle belonged to...

"Luffy," Tani whispered with alarm, "That sounds a lot like Wapol," she said fearfully. The wimpy kings voice still filling the castle.

Luffy wasted no time wrapping an arm around Tani's waist and hoisting her onto his shoulder, bolting down the hallway towards her room.

He bust open the door with his foot, spooking Chopper who was pacing around the room with worry in his cute features.

"Tani! You found her," Chopper sighed with relief, Luffy walked to the bed that had Tani's bag next to it and unceremoniously dumped her on the bed. She yelped as he grabbed the blanket from his shoulders and dumped it on top of her.

"Chopper, Wapol is back and I need to go kick his ass for biting Merry," Luffy declared. Turning to Tani with a smirk, he knew he was going to be fine.

"Tani, stay here," Luffy commanded. She chuckled, like she was going to leave her nice warm bed.

"You better come back in one piece, I won't forgive you if that ugly mug is the one to down the future pirate king," she stated smugly.

Chopper looked between where Luffy was standing, and where Tani sat. Luffy really did love his nakama... Maybe... Maybe he would... Chopper shook his head. There was no way.

"Oh Luffy," Tani added, taking off her coat and holding it out for Luffy to take. "So you don't get cold," she grinned sweetly. Luffy smiled and slipped it on.

"Thanks!" he snickered with a "shishishi". Luffy looked at the reindeer, "Let's go," he said. Walking towards the door to face Wapol. Tani looked at Chopper.

"Good luck out there Chopper," Tani gave him a soft smile. Chopper felt his cheek glow, his body did a little dance while he insulted her for wishing him luck. Earning a giggle from the girl.

"Stay in bed," he ordered Tani. The girl giving him a mock salute before dramatically flopping onto the bed. Chopper approved and walked out the room, leaving the girl alone once again.

Time to listen to music! Because god only knows that Tani will start being a negative Nancy if she keeps thinking to herself. So with her headphones on, she started playing tunes to remind her of home.

...

When a loud crashing noise ripped the dark skinned girl from the music humming in her ears. She found herself face to face with the steel face and wild dark blue hair of Wapol.

What the fu-

"You're one of straw hats crew!" he barked, grinning deviously at her.

She shrieked as he charged towards her with his mouth wide open. Tani rolled out of the way, her legs were tangled with her blanket so she slammed into the hard stone ground. What the hell was he doing in here? Where's Luffy? she quickly pulled her legs from the blanket and held it in her hands, ready to use.

"Stay still!" Wapol commanded in an entitled manner. Tani clutched the blanket tight, her heart rate accelerated. His hungry eyes looked into her terrified ones. Remain calm, you can do this Tani. She encouraged herself, but her heart didn't believe her. Wapol laughed deeply, licking his lips and opening his mouth to take a bite at the downed girl.

She let out a cry as she whipped the blanket up from around her, throwing it over Wapol. He flailed around as of he was caught in a net, he wobbled and shook the blanket around in an attempt to free himself.

Tani didn't have much time to run. Her bag was next to Wapol, so she couldn't grab it, and her yo-yo's were in her jacket which was with Luffy. She groaned and charged outside the door, her socked feet slamming into the stone floor as she bolted away as fast as her tired legs would carry her.

Wapol's angry shouts followed behind her as she made a dash for the stair way, tired whines escaped her throat as she ran as fast as she could from the enormous man chasing after her. Her legs hurt, the cold hurt, everything hurt! Where's Luffy? Was Nami and Sanji safe? What about Chopper?

The set of stairs appeared up ahead, and with her luck! They were slippery as all hell and with her socked feet being exposed to them. She slipped all the way up the stairs, scrapping her arms and knees as she bolted up the stairs. Her gasps and huffs bounced off the walls. The clapping of her feet against the stairs, the clanking of Wapol's shoes, Luffy's sandals-

Luffy's sandals? Well that's answers the Luffy question.

Without a word, an arm wrapped around the girls waist. Another arm was sent flying passed her.

"Gum gum rocket!" the blessed voice of Luffy called from behind her. Her feet lifted off the ground, tangled brown hair whipped behind her as Luffy slingshot them up the stairs. Tani closed her eyes, the blur of colours wasn't doing her fading headache any favours.

"You ok?" Luffy's voice asked. Tani snickered.

"If you consider getting attacked by a large mouthed man with the same appetite as a humpback whale, while being defenseless as ok. Then yeah I'm totally ok," she joked. Luffy snickered with her. Slowing down at the top of the stairs. Luffy kept his hold of her while she steadied herself. His focus on the area surrounding them. The centre of the room had a canon looking weapon or something. Luffy slid Tani's jacket off and handed it back to her.

"Wait outside," he ordered, Tani pulled the jacket on, melting into the borrowed warmth. Tani turned to one of the open windows, swallowing the lump in her throat. Luffy put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be ok," he grinned. Tani nervously nodded.

She shuffled to the window closest to her and grabbed the window frame with shaky hands and slipped out of the room onto the roof. The harsh winter winds berated her weak little body with cold snow. Don't look down! Don't look down! Don't look-

Her body froze as she stared at the long fall that awaited her if she slipped. Her hands gripped so hard that she felt like her veins would burst. Her breathing shifted from extremely fast, to nonexistent! Her vision zoomed in and out, a dizzy spell over coming her senses. Her grip didn't falter. She needed to stay there until Luffy gave her the all clear.

Focus on the battle.

Wapol's heavy breath echoed up the stairs as the fat man huffed from the run up. He laughed manically at the sight of the canon.

"It's over for you now straw brat!" Wapol declared. His heavy feet stomping towards the canon to start it up. Luffy didn't move, he stood close to the window that Tani was hiding behind. Ready to deflect anything fired her way.

But he knew that canon wouldn't fire. The birds nest in the barrel made sure of that. Wapol's angry cries when he realised this made it clear that he was aware of this fact also.

"What! It's blocked?!" Wapol shouted. Luffy's snickers were like music to Tani's ears. "Ugh! That doesn't matter, I'll just..." Wapol paused, followed by the sound of mechanical thingymabobs doing their mechanical thing. Tani didn't dare look, she needed to remain hidden... OK maybe just a peak.

She found herself faced with the sight of Luffy holding a birds nest full of eggs, as he stared angrily at the massive form of a mechanical Wapol, his body now incorporating the canon which he must have eaten. How did that even work?

Oh right devil fruits are bull shit and use major asspulls for the sake of plot. Great fun.

Luffy placed the nest down gently on the ground. The bird mother sitting on her eggs defensively. Now Luffy looked annoyed.

Wapol charged up an attack, aiming at Luffy who only stared at the weak king as if he was nothing more than dirt beneath the pirate kings feet.

*Bang!*

Tani closed her eyes, the sound of a wall being smashed in could be heard... On the other side of the tower? She peaked and noticed Luffy deflating. He didn't even care out his attack-

"Gum gum bowgun" Luffy announced, before grabbing Wapol and shooting him up into the roof with one swift move. Tani smiled and snickered. Wapol groaned as he fell from the roof. The sound of Luffy's sandal's hitting the floor sounded like a death sentence, as he closed the gap between him and the bastard hippo king.

Wapol shuffled backwards. The sweet sound of the small bell around Luffy's neck jingled as he lifted Wapol by the collar of his clothes. The man whimpered pathetically.

"Please, don't hurt me. I'll do anything! You can... You can be the second king! Rule by my side," he cried. Luffy huffed at the man.

"Nah," Luffy answered bluntly. Wapol whimpered, Luffy's arms shot out the window. Tani watched them whip passed her in awe. "Gum gum-"

"No wait! Please! Is it money you want? I'll give you-" Wapol begged. Tani mouthed the words as Luffy called out.

"bazooka!"

His arms flew by the girls head. Wapol cried as he was sent flying in the opposite direction, the wall he flew out of crumbling away. The shock waves felt familiar, a jolt of fear ran up the girls spine as her footing loosened. Slipping on the icy tiles of the roof. She let out a shriek. A strong hand grabbed her ungloved wrist before she fell further, the smiling face of Luffy greeted her now relieved one.

"Let's get back inside," she spoke nervously, Luffy hauled her back into the room with him. She felt cold just looking at him in his vest and jorts. Slipping one arm out of the jacket, opening the jacket and clearing her throat to grab his attention towards the offer. Luffy accepted, slipping an arm into the free sleeve. The pair walked down the stairs together while sharing the jacket, Tani's cheeks having changed to a warmish red against chocolatey cheeks.

...

Tani entered the now smashed up room to collect her belongings. Luffy was running around looking for Chopper, still hoping to recruit him. Luffy had some how gotten a jacket from Nami who totally didn't steal it. Which was great because now he wouldn't freeze to death on the climb down the mountain... She shivered at the thought of the climb down. She refused to ask Luffy to carry her down, he'd already done enough for her in the last couple however long. A long sigh left her throat.

"There you are, brat," a new voice entered the room, Kureha sat by the messed up bed. Tani turned to be faced with the her vogue model body, and Halloween witch face. The women chugged a bottle of what looked like wine. "Thought you might have died or something,"

"Well I don't feel like I'm dying, so alive," she joked, the women didn't seem impressed. Tough crowd... "Thank you for helping my nakama get well again," she smiled.

"Just doing my job," she took another swig of her drink. "Now I have a little job that I need you to do," she started. Tani paused in her movement.

"What's the job?" Tani responded. The women smirked.

"Keep an eye on Chopper for me will ya," she laughed. So Chopper was joining the crew. She smiled and nodded in affirmation. The doctor gave a sigh of relief. Tani pulled her bag in front of her and dug out a spare bell, handing it to the doctor.

"Here, it's not much but I think you'll appreciate having one," Tani told as she gave the doctor the bell. The women held the bell and shook it, hearing no noise. "It's a special bell, one that only I can hear. I like to think if them as silent reminders of the people I've met on my wild adventures," she explained. The doctor laughed. Tani turned away to head out of the room to meet with her crew that was waiting outside.

"What an odd bunch you lot are," she stated, Tani couldn't agree more, with a grin she was out the door.

With her coat on tight, she walked steadily out the snowy entrance of the castle into the open snowy yard. Luffy, Sanji and Nami were all standing there, staring at Chopper who was holding his hooves together sadly.

"I can't accept your request, but I'd be happy to see you guys visit again. I'll miss you all a lot and-" Chopper started.

"Shut up and join my crew already," Luffy laughed. Throwing his arms in the air with triumph. Chopper started sobbing.

"I will," he smiled, his features glowing brightly with elation. Tani, Nami and Sanji all looked among each other with that knowing look.

Chopper never stood a chance. Luckily they have a doctor on the crew now.

"I need to tell Doc, and pack my things," Chopper chirped. Shifting forms?! Woah he can do that? Tani had to shut her mouth before birds decided to use it as a nest.

"Let's get your stuff and go," Luffy said, walking towards the castle to help the deer that was now prancing on all fours towards the castle. He really looked like a reindeer now.

"So what were you lot up to when Wapol attacked?" Tani asked, filling in the silence.

"Stealing treasure from the bastard," Nami snickered, opening her coat to reveal brown bags of gold hanging from within. How the hell she did that? Tani didn't want to know.

"I was fighting these Wapol's goons. You know that guy that was floating on the water? Him and some guy with an Afro that was all sticky." Sanji shivered at the memory of his leg being set on fire because of take sticky hair balls, "At some point, Wapol ate them both and fused them together. So Chopper and I had to fight them together." Sanji said casually. Tani rubbed at her temple.

"God this world is a mess, I feel like some side character in a cartoon." she sighed tiredly. Sanji wrapped an arm around her shoulder, his other one grabbing Nami and pulling the girls in to his side.

"Well it's done now, I hope Vivi and Usopp are doing alright," Sanji exhaled.

As if on cue, the sound of chugging could be heard approaching the castle heights. The trio looked over at the approaching snow cart? Whatever those booths that are used at ski resorts are called.

A group of shadowy blobs left the cart when it docked on the edge of the mountain top, Sanji pulled the girls closer to his side. Though he winced at the pain in his back, Tani remembered Luffy mentioning Sanji's injury.

"Oi, I see them!" a voice that sounded very much like Usopp called out. "Oi! Guys its us!" a man with dark skin and fluffy black hair waved. It was Usopp!

"Usopp! Over here," Nami waved. The long nosed sniper ran as fast as his snow covered legs would carry him, followed by Vivi and her bouncy blue hair and... Was that Zoro?

"Zoro what are you doing here?" Tani asked when noticing the green haired swordsman running beside Usopp and Vivi.

"What's wrong with me being here huh?" he glared, though he looked happy to see everyone was alright.

"Well whose guarding the ship?" Nami asked with her arms crossed. Zoro huffed.

"The duck," he answered nonchalantly.

"You left Carue alone!?" Vivi seemed to finally realise. Glaring daggers at Zoro, who brushed her look off like it was nothing.

"Well how about we get off this mountain, we have a country to save," Nami declared.

"Hold on, we need to wait for Luffy and Chopper," Tani reminded, the others looked at the entrance to the castle. Waiting for the pair to arrive.

What they didn't expect was Chopper shouting for them to run, while Luffy flew behind the rushing deer (who looked more like a deer than before) in a bobsled filled with baggage. The crew all shrieked in panic, dodging the speeding sled. A large knife and other sharp objects followed behind them as the doctor women screamed at Chopper. The straw hats ran towards the sled, Zoro and Sanji managed to get on. The boys helped the stragglers onto the sled. Once everyone was on Sanji shouted for them to go.

Chopper jumped off the edge of the mountain. It felt like that scene from E.T with the bike, mixed with Santa flying his sleigh through the night sky. The full moon illuminated the white snow. It was a beautiful sight... Had they not been running away for a maniac throwing sharp weapons.

The sled crashing into the ground, everyone bounced in their seats. Nobody was hurt though. Chopper raced down the mountain side, heading towards the ocean with a grim look. It didn't make sense... She wanted Chopper to leave, she had asked Tani to keep an eye on him for her... So why did she react that way? Second thoughts? Who knew.

Boom!

Everyone's eyes shot up to the sky. The explosion of canon fire rumbled the mountain. What they saw however...

Pink. A cloud of bright pink clouds filled the skies. The snow was stained the bright colour. Nami and Sanji seemed to gasp with acknowledgement of something that Tani did understand. The crew gasped in awe, while the silent sniffles of Chopper went unnoticed. Tears trailed down his face as he realised that the country was cured. A smile adorned his face as he ran faster and faster. Flakes of pink snow falling all around him.

The straw hats boarded the Going Merry happily, well mostly happy. Zoro got socked in the jaw by Vivi when she found Usopp and Luffy fishing Carue out of the frozen ocean. The duck quacked with a shiver, Chopper nodded and spoke.

"He said he dived in after Zoro because he was worried," Chopper said, Luffy and Tani gasped in awe.

"You can talk to animals?!" Luffy gasped, his eyes twinkled. "that's awesome!" he cheered.

"Everyone," Nami beckoned the crew over. A tray of drinks were held out to everyone. "to having a new nakama!" she declared.

"To new nakama!" they cheered, clinking their drinks and chugging them. Chopper couldn't stop smiling as he watched his nakama joking around with chop sticks and dancing together. He was going to like it here.


	13. Chapter 13

"And there you go," Tani grinned at her handy work. Chopper looked in awe at the small bell necklace that Tani made for him. "Now if you get lost, just shake it and I'll come running ok?" she explained. Chopper nodded in understanding.

"Tani! Come fish with us," Luffy waved at the girl with the spare fishing rod in hand. She snickered and walked over, grabbing the fishing rod and plopping herself in between Usopp and Luffy. Chopper walked over to watch. They sat there peacefully, nothing was biting the lines but that didn't really bother them much.

"Hey what's that?" Usopp asked, pointing towards a steamy spot on the ocean. Nami walked down the stairs, approaching the boys (and girl).

"That's the steam from an underwater volcano, the heat from the volcano causes the water to steam up," she explained. Tani looked at the spot, she remembered something her science teacher had mentioned.

"That means in a couple million years there should be a new island," she added to Nami's statement. Usopp and Luffy looked amazed. "At least that's what my teacher said, because of all the magma and stuff from the volcano builds up into and island or something... I think?" she questioned herself. The boys were too busy talking about how cool it would be to see an new island rise from the ocean.

"What if it was a meat island? Tani will it be a meat island?" Luffy asked, his mouth watering buckets of drool onto the deck. Tani laughed at the display, slapping at the wood with her hand as she laughed. Usopp and Chopper joined in with her contagious laughter.

Nami looked at the group with a pleased expression. Tani really brings out something special within them all. Nami can't imagine returning to the girls room without finding Tani sitting on her bed with her headphones... She was such a mystery to the world. The crew was lucky that of all the ships in the world that she could have appeared on, she managed to find her way to the Going Merry.

Tani still had many quirks that the other crew members didn't have. The bells being a big one, the bags of random snacks and clothes she managed to bring back with her at random without having any Berri to spend. Then there were the physical differences, her healing rate was much slower... Maybe that's something she should bring up with Chopper.

"Chopper, mind if I pull you over here for a second?" Nami asked the little doctor, Chopper nodded and followed Nami over to the closet turned medical bay.

"What's up Nami," Chopper asked cutely. Dear lord he's so cute what the hell. Nami had to hold back a squeal to explain.

"It's about Tani," she started. Chopper stilled, expecting the worst. "She's probably made this clear already but, Tani's not from around here." Nami said vaguely. She sat on the exam table which Chopper jumped up next to her.

"Tani actually appeared on Merry right before we met Sanji," Nami recounted fondly. That was a day, they really got off on the wrong foot that day. "She's from a world that we've never been to. Her body heals much slower than ours do, so she might have more differences that we don't know yet." she stressed. Chopper nodded at this.

"I'll have to pull her over and have a chat, thank you for bringing this up," the little doctor smiles sweetly. Nami held her heart at the pure reaction.

"Can't have Tani dropping dead on us when she has dreams to achieve," Nami winked.

"I think we just caught a guy?!" Tani shrieked from outside. Nami and Chopper ran outside to see what the commotion was about.

Attached to the trios fishing lines was a man? He had the face shape of a man but dressed in a more feminine manner. They pulled him onto the boat, the man looked grateful for their rescue. Which he expressed in a very flamboyant way.

"Nyoooo~ thank you so much for saving my life," he thanked, twirling on the tip of his toes like a ballerina. Yeah! He looks like a male ballerina. Luffy found his act very amusing. "For you lovelies see, I can not swim~" he sang.

"Devil fruit?" Tani asked. The ballerina pointed his leg her way, his back bending in an arch that hurt to look at.

"Correct!" he rolled the R. His energy was insane. As to be expected on these oceans. "Shall I demonstrate?~" he sang.

Luffy nodded enthusiastically, which the ballerina responded with by slamming his palm into the unsuspecting boys face. Luffy smacked into a wall. The shockwave woke Zoro from his nap and left him on high alert, his thumb brushed against the handle of his most beloved sword. Only to lower his guard and walk over to observe the oddity on the ship.

"Who's the weirdo?" Zoro whispered to Tani, who shrugged her shoulders.

"Some guy who we caught on our fishing lines, he just smacked Luffy in the face so I dunno what his deal is," she replied blankly, keeping her distance from the guy. Luffy got back up and rubbed his head, he stomped over to the guy to give him a piece of his mind when he came face to face with a mirror image of himself.

"Woah! It's me! But I'm me?" Luffy marvelled, the Luffy copy mimicked his movements. The copy tapped his cheek, changing back to the ballerina man. "Now you're you again! That's awesome," Luffy praised. Clapping his hands like an awestruck child.

"Such is the power of Bon Clay nyooo~" Bon Clay exclaimed while taking a bow. He tapped everyone's faces, well except for Sanji who wasn't there and Vivi who was standing back with a concerned look in her eyes. "You see, I can become anyone I've touched~" he said with a sing song voice. Taping his other cheek and showing off the many faces he had collected.

"I can mimic their voices," he said with Zoro's voice, the swordsmans face contorted in discomfort. "I can even copy their body," he said with Nami's face, slipping his clothes off to reveal more of the poor women's body than anyone present wanted to see.

Nami slammed her fist into his head, embarrassment clawing at her cheeks. Bon Clay laughed it off with Tani's voice, sending a shiver up the girls spine. It sounded just like her... It was weird. He cycled through many faces the crew didn't know, it was wild. So many different people were forever remembered by this man.

"Bon Clay!? Bon Clay!?" chanted a choir of men from a small pink swan boat that rolled beside the Merry.

"Nyoo?~ what's this? My lovely crew?" Bon Clay turned on his toes to face the swam boat, "My lovelies! I'm here my darlings~" he waved at them with his flamboyant arm movements. They all cheered at his appearance.

"I'm afraid this is where we must part ways Straw hat," Bon Clay cried, Luffy got emotional as well. Crying as they parted ways. "We will always be nakama! Nyooo~" Bon Clay cheered with teary eyes, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper all choked up with tears as they bid their new friend farewell. What a weird experience.

"Oh shoot, I forgot to give him a bell," Tani said with a little disappointment. Luffy pouted sadly as he watched the swan boat speed ahead. "Wonder if we'll ever meet him again," she thought aloud.

"We will..." Vivi answered ominously. Curious looks turned to her. "Because that man is Mr 2..." she looked panicked. Everyone on the ship seemed surprised, he was such a riot and friendly to boot. How could he work for such an awful organization?

"How can you be sure? I mean you wouldn't have met him because of the whole ranks and secrets thing," Tani asked. Vivi nodded with a scrunched face.

"One of those faces was my father's, I've heard about Mr 2's devil fruit power... This can only spell out trouble," Vivi sounded defeated. Zoro let out a small chuckle, attention now on him.

"Then I guess it's lucky that we met him," Zoro smirked, Vivi looked confused. "Because now we know what he's capable of, we can counter it," he explained.

"That's genius," Usopp said excitedly, lightly punching Zoro's shoulder. Who scowled back, scaring Usopp away. Sanji walked out of the kitchen, looking confused about the conversation.

"So how do we counter someone who can copy everything about us?" Nami pondered. Zoro's smirk grew, already having a plan in mind.

"With these," Zoro pulled out a handful of white cloths, from where? Who knows. "Not just these though, does anyone have a marker?" why would we need a marker?

"I've got one," Usopp said while rummaging his bag, handing the black marker to the swordsman. Zoro proceeded to draw an X mark on his lower arm and wrapped the cloth around it.

"The true marker is the X on our arms. Mr 2 won't know about it so if you ask someone to prove they're who they are, and they don't show the X first, they're a fake," Zoro said matter-of-factly.

"Wow even the idiot moss head can have a good idea for once," Sanji mocked, Zoro shot him a death glare.

"So what did I miss?" Sanji asked, Nami proceeded to inform the chef of what had occurred. The flushed cheeks at the mention of Nami's body being revealed to the crew left him feeling fired up to fight the guy.

Everyone took it in turns drawing an X on their arms and tying a cloth around it. Even Carue got one. The crew held their fists out in a circle on the count of three, raised them with a cheer. The crew was ready to take on whatever the evil organization had to offer.

...

"Luffy!" Tani called out as she skated through the streets of Nanohana. The rest of the crew found a spot to hide while Sanji and Chopper left to grab supplies. Luffy had dashed off the second the boat landed, so Tani was left to wander the streets of the desert country in search of the ever hungry captain.

She'd entered every eating establishment she could find, none of them had seen the straw hatted vacuum cleaner. It'd been half an hour and she still hadn't found him! She rolled around until spotting the last restaurant she could have entered. If he wasn't there, than boy was she going to kill him when she found him.

Rolling into the small establishment, she found herself staring at a rather odd sight. Everyone was crowded around this one guy with his face fallen flat into a pile of fried rice, his hand still held up a fork with shrimp on it as if ready to take a bite, only to fall asleep or die. People were poking and prodding at his lifeless body. Tani didn't really have time to watch, she had her idiot captain to find.

"Excuse me," she waved her hand in front of the bar tenders face to grab his attention. "Have you seen a guy with a straw hat, red vest, probably able to clear out your entire stock of food in one sitting?" she asked for the thousandth time. The man looked at her with a sigh.

"Same thing I told that guy," he pointed at the man with his face buried in food, "I haven't seen this Luffy kid," he said.

Hold on a second, this guy was looking for Luffy too? What did he want with him? Was he a bounty hunter?.. On second thought, that looked like a Jolly Roger tattooed on his back. She kept her eyes on him, trying to figure out if she'd seen a bounty poster for him in the newspaper yet. His rancid orange hat stood out so there's no way she would have mister hot and bothered cowboy man. Honestly why did he have no shirt on, it was hot sure but you'd get a bad sunburn in a country like this-

Tani was so focused on questioning this man's fashion choices, that when he woke up, she shrieked and fell off her chair. The crowd around him looked shocked that the man wasn't dead. In fact he just picked up from the middle of a sentence he was probably saying before passing out.

"-see him then can you tell him to find me..." he blinked his sleepy eyes at the people that swarmed him, "What's with the crowd?" the man said nonchalantly, the crowd of people all yelled at him about thinking he was dead. He just shrugged at them and turned back to his meal like he hadn't just passed out for who knows how long.

Tani didn't know whether or not she should confront this guy about his need to find Luffy. Luffy is a tough guy, but if this man is a threat then she doesn't want to take any chances. She decided to eavesdrop on the man's conversation with the bartender.

"Look I've already told you, I haven't seen him. What are the odds that he'll show up here?" the bartender sounded annoyed. The man laughed, biting the food on his fork.

"Where there's food, there's a Luffy," he said. Does he know Luffy? Or is this just information he's gathered? Tani felt nervous... And thirsty.

"Can I have a water please?" Tani asked the bartender. The man looked at her with a sigh, but complied and handed her the glass. She felt the cowboy man staring at her with curious eyes. She side glanced him, making eye contact which she quickly broke.

"Do I know you?" he asked, leaning his face on the palm of his hand. His gaze held fire, a hint of recognition in his eyes.

"Nope," she said into her cup, the water bubbling some of her voice. The man's eyes squinted as if trying to analyse her more. He turned away with a sigh.

"You wouldn't happen to have seen a kid running around with a straw hat?" he asked. Tani froze, and he noticed. "You have!" he leaned in closer. Tani pulled away, the cup still in her hold. The bartender rolled his eyes.

Before the guy could say anything more to her, the door to the restaurant opened up. A familiar smokey smell filled the air. Tani turned to face the new arrival, only to turn her head back as fast as she could. Cursing under her breath at the familiar face. The guy next to her turned around in his chair and smirked.

"Fire fist Ace? What are you doing this half of the Grand line?... You know what, never mind. I'm not here to catch you anyway," Smoker grunted at Ace. Tani lowered herself closer to the counter, her hat now in her lap. Ace gave her a side glance, noticing how nervous she looked. "I'm looking for straw hat Luffy," he said aloud. The bartender threw his hands up in frustration.

"Kids not here!" he ranted, Smoker raised a brow. Looking back at Ace in realisation. He looked like he was ready to fight the pirate, Ace was pretty much the same. "Get out of my bar!" the bartender yelled, shooing at the three of them. Smoker and Ace ignored him, Tani sat there with her breath caught. Smoker hadn't noticed her yet.

Tani decided not to focus on the tension between the two men. No, her attention instead shifted to the jingling of a bell. A sigh escaped her lips.

"Refill please," she said. The man gave her an annoyed look, but took the glass anyway. She turned to look at the entrance, noticing the hands now grabbing the frame of the door.

3

Ace stood up from his seat, flicking at his hat with a smirk.

2

Smoker grumbled, pulling at the weapon he had strapped into his back.

1

Tani braced for impact, leaning away from the seat that Ace was sitting on just before.

"Rocket!" Luffy announced, his rubber body slamming into the back of Smoker. The momentum sent Smoker flying into a shocked Ace. The pair being shot through... One, two, five. Five different buildings. Luffy of course didn't notice anything and just ran to empty spot that Ace once sat, and started eating his food. Stay classy Luffy.

"Luffy..." Tani sighed, the boy turned to her with stuffed cheeks and smiled.

"Oh hey Tani!" he said with his mouth still full. She deadpanned at him but he was too focused on 'his' meal to notice or care. The bartender walked back with the full glass, dropping it when he noticed the damage done to his place. Tani shrugged at him and turned back to Luffy.

"Straw hat!" Smoker's angry voice growled from the rubble. His smoke danced around him as he approached the pair. Tani grabbed Luffy by the shoulders, hoping to pull him away from the bar. Luffy looked up at Smoker with wide eyes. Pausing in his movements... Then shoving the rest of the food into his mouth, turning around and bolting out the door. Smoker looked at Tani, oh shit.

"You're the kid from the fountain!" he growled, Tani had no time to reply before a rubber hand grabbed her shoulders and pulled her backwards with a shriek. She shot in front of a grinning Luffy, her blades still attached to her feet. Luffy pulled himself onto her back just as he had in Little Garden. Piggy backing off her as she zoomed through the streets of Nanohana.

"Luffy after this I'm going to kill you!" she yelled as she almost slammed into a barrel.

"Hold on!" he said. What does he mean hold-

His arm shot upwards, attaching to the top of a building. His legs tightened around her waist as he pulled them off the ground. Tani screamed, because of course he would pull her off the ground and into the air! What kind of action adventure would this be without that!?

The landing was wobbly, Tani's legs turned to jelly from her initial shock. The sound of Smoker shouting at them snapped her legs back to normal, she raced across the rooftops.

Now jumping between buildings was the most terrifying thing she had ever had to do, more scary than her fight with Pearl, more horrifying than the avalanche, heck even Luffy chasing her with murderous intent had nothing on this. She wanted to clench her eyes shut everytime a jump came up. She couldn't though because that would risk them falling from at least 15ft and that would break her legs.

"Hey! I see everyone," Luffy called to Tani, without warning he grabbed the edge of the building they were on and tossed them off together. She let out a shriek, closing her eyes tight and clinging to Luffy with a knuckle whitening clutch.

"You idiot!" Nami scolded Luffy, smacking him upside the head. "You just had to start trouble in the first town we dock at didn't you?" Nami groaned. Sanji rubbed her shoulders to ease the the tension from them.

"Straw hat! Where are you?" Smokers angry voice shouted through the streets. Tani turned her head to spot a small group of white uniformed men heading towards their direction.

"Quick! The marines are here!" Tani shouted. The straw hats turned towards the now gathering crowd of marines charging at them from both ends of the street. Zoro smacked Luffy atop the head.

"You couldn't have lead them away before coming here?" he shouted, grabbing the handles of his swords.

"Run!" Usopp shouted as he took the lead and bolted. The rest of the crew following close behind. The marines were nothing against the force that is the straw hat pirates, but that doesn't mean the crew wanted to be running for their lives.

Smoker was catching up, his smoke making it easy for him to just float through the air. At this rate the straw hats weren't going to make it to the boat. A burst of fiery heat exploded from behind them, the already yellowy desert glowed an orange hue. The crew turned around to face the back of Ace. Fire danced atop his bare skin, his body language screaming confidence. He turned his head and shot the crew a smirk. Luffy's eyes widened in surprise.

"Ace?!" Luffy exclaimed. The crew collectively glanced at each other in confusion. So Luffy knew the guy, and didn't seem hostile. That's a good sign. "Since when did you get a devil fruit?" Luffy looked both excited and curious. Ace turned away to face Smoker.

"I'll tell you later," he replied, his skin lit up like a fireball. Guess that's where the name 'fire fist' came from. "Get to your ship, I'll hold old Smokey off," Ace said with certainty. Like he already knew the outcome of the fight before it even began.

"Well let's go!" Nami called out, everyone returned to run for the ship. Luffy was rather distracted by the fight going on behind them.

"Luffy, who is that guy?" Zoro asked with concern. Luffy grinned from ear to ear.

"That's Ace, my big brother," he said with great pride. Many jaws dropped, Tani's included. He had a brother? He always came off as the single child with no parental attention to her. "Woah his devil fruit is cool!" he exclaimed while running backwards to watch fire and smoke collide.

...

"What do you mean he got split off!" Nami shouted at the unfortunate Tani who was standing on the deck of the now sailing Merry.

"I mean just that. He went poof, vanished, gone without a trace," Tani deadpanned, her hands making motions with her words. Honestly how could he have gotten lost? Did he catch Zoro's direction deficiency? Hopefully that's not contagious...

"Ugh!" Nami threw her arms in the air in anger, stomping to the railing and looking back at Nanohana. The massive fire/smoke ball was gone meaning Ace and Smoker were finished with their fight.

Now that Tani thought about it. Ace was a bit of a surprise, Luffy had never mentioned a brother. Hell he'd never mentioned anything about his family, the only person she'd heard anything about was this guy who gave Luffy his treasured hat. Now that Ace had shown up, maybe she could learn more about her captain.

"Oi!" shouted the very familiar voice of their idiot captain. The straw hatted boy flapped his arms around wildly. Everyone on deck gathered around the railing beside Nami, who was foaming in the mouth with how annoyed she looked. Luffy's radiant smile could be seen from miles away.

"Gum gum!" he threw his arms forward, stretching the length between the dock and the Merry. Landing on the railing right in front of Sanji and Chopper. Tani paled a bit when realising what was happening.

"Chopper get down," she said, grabbing the little reindeer around the torso and pulled him away from the landing zone. Unfortunately for Sanji...

"Rocket!"

*Slam!*

Sanji was sent backwards under the weight of their reckless captain. Who laughed off the whole situation, Nami was not please. Her fist collided with his skull, sending him straight into the ground. Tani felt a squirming in her arms, Chopper was struggling to escape her hold.

"Ah, sorry," she dropped Chopper in a movement of panic, the poor doctor fell to the floor with a thunk. Luffy recovered and returned his attention to the crew.

"Oi Luffy," Zoro called, Luffy hummed in question. "So that Ace guy's your brother? What'd he want?" he asked. Luffy's expression lit up just as bright as Ace when he was on fire.

"Ace said he would tell me everything later, so we gotta wait for him!" he looked excited, how long had it been since they last saw each other? Tani never really had this kind of feeling, her only family was her mum and she was always home when Tani needed her. "He's so cool!" Luffy said with admiration.

"So is Ace strong?" Tani asked curiously. She'd seen him fighting... Sorta? He dissolved into a fireball and did that thing against Smoker which was cool, but she didn't know if that meant he was strong. He could have lost for all she knew... Yet her gut told her that was very unlikely. His confidence was too certain.

"Of course he is!" Luffy almost looked offended, "Ace is so strong that even without a devil fruit he was stronger than me!" he praised with dazzling eyes. "Though if I tried now, I think I could beat him super easy," he laughed, leaning against the ships railing.

"What was that?" a new voice chuckled. A shadow flew through the air, landing on the railing behind Luffy. The bright orange cowboy hat was flicked up to reveal Ace's droopy eyes. Luffy beamed, bouncing on his legs with excitement. It was just... So cute! Tani had turned away to not draw attention to herself. "So this is your crew Luffy?" Ace asked, turning to look at the crew.

"Unfortunately yes," Nami grumbled with grumpy eyes glaring at Luffy. Usopp pat her back in a comforting manner, shaking his head in defeat.

"Thanks for putting up with my little brother, I'm sure he's quite the handful," Ace said with a bow. He was so polite, a stark contrast to Luffy's more demanding nature which lacked any real manners. Ace lifted his head to look at everyone on the ship, his eyes landing on Tani. "Hey, I saw you at that bar earlier," he pointed at her.

She pointed at herself, before sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck. Something about Ace was making her really shy for some reason.

"Uh yeah, I was looking for Luffy. He ran off the second we docked, and because I'm the tracker of the crew it's my job to find him," she said. Ace didn't take his eyes off her until Nami began talking to him. Tani sighed with relief when his gaze stopped burning into hers.

"Oh Tani," Sanji called for her attention, she turned to him. He held out clothes and jewellery, the girl grabbed them. "I went out and bought you some new clothes to better suit the weather," he's face seemed to heat up with all the blood rushing to his cheeks.

Tani lifted the pieces of clothing and stared at them with a quirked brow. They were a two piece that looked something akin to princess Jasmine from Aladdin. The top half being cropped to fit around her chest and not much else, it also had straps so it wouldn't slide down her body when running around. The bottom half looked like a long skirt, but if you looked closely it split off into pants. So she wouldn't be tangled up when rolling around in the sand. She stared at Sanji with questioning eyes.

"Hey quick question," she said, looming straight into Sanji's eye. He felt a nervous sweat. "How do you know my size?" she asked with suspicion. The blonde rubbed the back of his neck.

"I've always had to take into consideration everyone's sizes when preparing dishes, so I kinda just know-" he answered. Tani didn't believe him and he knew it. He let out a sigh, "I have a natural skill when seeing any woman, I just know their proportions." he breathed. Tani gave a nod, that sounded more Sanji.

"Well that's a useful skill. If not, a really weird and specific one. You're very in-tune with women aren't you?" Tani commented, before turning away to head into the girls room.

The clothing itself wasn't half bad, with its bluish-green hue and airy design. Sanji had taken into consideration not only her comfort, but her fighting style too. The only issue she had was her exposed stomach and arms which would surely get burnt in the scorching sun... That and she didn't particularly enjoy showing off her skin in the first place.

She wasn't ashamed of her looks, her mother always made sure of that. Peppering her with compliments and praise for how pretty she was, whenever school got her down.

Sanji had taken her needs into consideration though. Plus she didn't think any of her clothes suited the weather like these did. Tani sighed and proceeded to slip off her clothes to swap outfits.

*Bang!*

Tani paused as the ship rocked back and forth. Did they get hit? Who was firing at them? Was it the Marines? She ignored grabbing shoes in order to run outside and check out what was happening.

She burst through the door to the deck, nobody paid her any mind as they all looked towards the front of the Merry.

Ace was absent from Tani's view, where'd he go? She stepped forward to stand beside Luffy, who was looking at the Baroque work ships with awe... No, he wasn't looking at them... He was looking at the small boat speeding towards them. It's engine roared as it sped towards the six ships firing at Merry. Ace's orange cowboy hat clearly on the head of the smaller boats occupant.

That thing was like the coolest jet ski boat thing she'd ever seen! His feet were on fire to power it up, like how much cooler can you get? Man if only she could set herself on fire without getting third degree burns.

Once the smaller boat had gained enough momentum, Ace jumped off of it. The small boat dove under the ocean while he soared through the air. It was like a super hero move! He flipped around in the air, the baroque workers had no idea what to do. Tani couldn't see Ace when he landed.

What she did see was a blast of fire so ginormous that it burned through all six ships like they were melted butter. The heat from the flames warmed the wind that blew over the awestruck straw hat pirates. The crew was left in awestruck silence.

So this was the power of a high rank pirate?

The small boat Ace was piloting zoomed back to the Merry, Ace waved at the crew. Luffy waved back enthusiastically, bouncing around on his feet with excitement. Luffy looked like he was about to explode.

Ace casually jumped from his smaller boat onto the deck of the Merry, as if what he just did was the norm. Tani didn't snap out of her awestruck state until she was knocked in the shoulder by Luffy, who Ace had slung his arm over the shoulder of.

"That was awesome!" Luffy cheered, his arms flying in the air to emphasise his words. Ace gave a chuckle, his free hand messing with Luffy's scruffy black hair. "How did you do that? I wanna do that!" Luffy wouldn't stop bouncing.

"Maybe someday Luffy," Ace said with a glowing expression. He was just as happy to see Luffy, his expressions were more reserved, but the fire (no pun intended) in his eyes were alight.

"Sorry to interrupt the reunion," Nami cut in, "Sorry if this comes off as rude but I was just wondering how long you plan on staying?" she asked. Ace thought for a moment.

"Not long, there's someone I need to find somewhere in Alabasta," he answered. His face growing more serious at the implications of his mission.

"Ace should stay with us!" Luffy suggested, "We need find that place Vivi wants to go to, maybe Ace can find that someone he's looking for as well," he reasoned. Nami gave a quick nod.

"Only if you want to stay around," Nami said, pointing towards Ace. He gave a chuckled.

"Well if you're willing to have me, I'll stay around for a bit," Ace declared, Luffy cheered happily. Tani smiled softly at her captain's joy. A hand tapped at her shoulder, this time it was Vivi that held out a cloth to her.

"Here, you'll want to wear this when we journey through the desert," she suggested. Handing over the light green cloak with yellow stars lining the rims. Tani sighed with relief, slipping the long cloak over her shoulders. Now she won't get sunburnt! Oh maybe she should grab some of that on her next-

"Damn it," Tani cursed to herself. Not loud enough for anyone to hear her. She didn't have time to go shopping at IDCS because she was so busy finding Luffy! Stupid captain cost her a chance to get more supplies.

She turned to find Luffy still prancing around his brother, excitedly showing off all he could about the Going Merry and her occupants. The pure happiness that Luffy displayed at the sight of his family was adorable!

"Tani,"

Speaking of adorable.

"What's up Chopper?" the girl asked, her arms crossings round her chest as she faced the reindeer doctor.

"I was wondering if I could take you in for an examination," he said while holding his hooves together. "Nami brought up some concerning information and I wanted to make sure I was prepared to take care of all your wounds should you get them," Chopper voiced. Tani nodded.

"What kind of concerns? Am I sick?" Tani said with slight worry.

"What? Tani's sick again?" Luffy yelled way louder than he should have. Chopper looked at Luffy with wide eyes.

"Again? Have you been sick before?" Chopper questioned. Tani grabbed her chin to think... There was-

"When I first arrived, I had a really bad fever that lasted about a day. There was also the time Luffy punched me so hard I went flying off the boat," she recounted. Chopper panicked at the mention of the last injury.

"Luffy did what?!" he squeaked. Turning to face the guilty captain, who was laughing it off.

"Oh right! When she shoved that Johnny guy out of the way," he laughed. Ace smacked him upside the head. "Ouch, Ace that was mean!" Luffy pouted.

Ace just chuckled, but didn't say anything. Instead focusing on the strange girl Luffy had on his crew. There was something about her story that sounded way too familiar.

"Anyway that's not important," Tani waved. Pulling the doctors attention back. "Did you need any more information?" she asked. Chopper nodded.

"I need to know your blood type in case we need to give you an emergency blood transfusion," Chopper says with all seriousness that shouldn't be possible for someone so small and cute.

"Oh! We did this test in high school," She says with realization. Thank god she doesn't have to do it again, "My blood type is A, so someone's bound to have it on the-"

"A what?" Chopper asked.

"Huh?"

"A what? I've never heard of blood type A," Chopper said with slight worry. Tani blinked.

"What? You don't have A, B, AB or O here?" Tani said with just as much worry. This could be a problem.

"That's where I've heard it!" Ace interrupted, his fist hitting his open palm. "My division partner has the same thing Tani does. Her blood type is O, she made a huge deal about how cool that made her because it was rare it something like that." Ace explained.

"So this partner of yours is the same as Tani?" Zoro joined in, the mention of blood must have peaked his interest. Ace gave a nod.

"Yeah, she appeared on my old ship. Back when I was the captain of the Spade pirates," Ace chuckled. The memories resurfacing in his mind. "She hasn't changed much, she still this aggressive asshole that can and will kill you," he says with pride.

"Ace has a mystery girl too?" Luffy added. Ace laughed and pat Luffy on the back.

"Yeah you could say that."

"Can we get back to the topic at hand though," Chopper pulled them all back. "Tani," she turned to look at him. "This means I'll need to draw blood from you so we have some backups in case of emergency," Chopper stated. Tani felt herself pale, but nodded in agreement.

"Better safe than sorry I guess," she added with a lopsided smile.

"We can do that later," Nami popped in out of nowhere. "We have a country to save and lunch to eat." she called out. Earning cheers from the crew.

Tani paused for a moment in her ascent to the kitchen. A realization just hitting her.

She wasn't the only one.

She wasn't the only bell user here.


	14. Chapter 14

Tani was rudely awoken from her peaceful nap, by the sound of shouting and water splashing. Now that's to be expected since they're so close to the ocean all the time, but the splashing seemed different.

"What the hell?" Nami shouted from the other side of the ship. Tani propped herself on her elbows, looking in the direction of Nami. Nami was staring over the side of the boat, a look of annoyance and confusion present in her fair face. Sanji, Usopp and Luffy ran out of the kitchen and leaned over to see what she was looking at. Judging by the way Luffy's eyes lit up in excitement, Tani could only assume it was something interesting.

Ace lazily followed out the kitchen after Luffy started shouting in excitement to Chopper, requesting the little doctor to translate what the "Turtle seals!" were saying.

Tani sluggishly lifted herself off the ground and walked over to the commotion. It was exactly what she expected, a bunch of dugongs with turtle shells... Challenging the ship to a kung-fu fight, well that's what Chopper translated.

"Well if it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get," The captain declared, jumping off the ship and onto the rocky surface the turtle seals challenged him on.

Luffy swiftly beat them all up... Like really fast, because it's Luffy... This ended up causing them to now claiming him as their master, it was all quite humorous until they wouldn't leave the crew alone.

"Nami I think they're still following us," Usopp pointed from the railing of the Merry. Nami growled and stomped to stand beside Usopp.

"We can't take you with us," Nami tried to reason with the hoard of Luffy followers. They barked at her, Chopper turned to the group and translated.

"We can't leave without learning from master," he parroted. Nami felt her forehead hurt from all the tensing she made with her brow. Usopp pat her back with comfort. She sighed.

"Can we make a deal with them?" Nami asked Chopper. The reindeer asked the question to the kung fu turtle seals, they chirped back an answer that Chopper quickly relayed.

"Food, for all of them," he said swiftly. Nami called for Sanji, who ran out in a flash with hearts in his eyes.

"Yes my love?" he called, Nami gestured to the turtle seals.

"We gotta feed all of them, how full is the food supply?" she asked the chef. He held his head in his hands to think. They'd just had a big lunch (Thanks to Luffy and Ace being total bottomless pits) so they didn't have too much left in terms of long travel.

"We can make them a meal and still have enough left to last us about three days tops," he estimated, counting on his fingers. "Four days if we skip snacks," Sanji declared. Hoping Luffy didn't hear that.

"Well get to it, we don't have all day," Nami instructed. Sanji was quick to leave, preparing a meal for the Luffy followers. Tani snickered at the sight. This world for stranger and stranger... Speaking of strange.

Who would have thought she wasn't the only dimension traveller here. Granted it was likely, she wasn't some movie protagonist. That was more a Luffy thing if she thought about it. Back on topic... If Ace knows a traveller as well than it would be in Tani's best interest to talk with her. Maybe she can ask Ace for his partners number? Yeah she'll do that when she has the chance.

For now she was going to relax, the journey ahead was gonna be a tough one.

...

"Bye!" waved Luffy in farewell. Tani and a couple of other crew members waved as well. The kung-fu turtle dugongs swam away with a splash, leaving the straw hats and their tag alongs.

"Well then... Shall we start packing bags for the journey?" Tani said with a clap of her hands.

"We did," Nami stated, pointing at the bags that Tani didn't notice because she was distracted by other things.

"Oh... Well I'm gonna go pack my things," She said sheepishly. Waltzing towards the girls cabin, only to have Vivi prance towards her with a soft smile. The blue haired princess walked with Tani to the cabin and headed for the desk while Tani packed her bag.

"What are you doing?" Tani asked curiously, shoving a packet of beef jerky into her bag. Vivi turned from her chair to face Tani.

"I'm writing a letter to my father, to tell him I'm coming home with some help for the kingdom," she replied, turning back to continue writing. Tani hummed, pulling her camera out of the bag and taking a look at it.

She was still curious about why it existed, she hasn't really used it that much. Maybe she should get on that. Tani turned to face Vivi's backside and with a click of the crank, tapped the shutter button and-

*Click*

"Nice," Tani smiled. Vivi lifted her head with a curious hum but Tani placed the camera back in her bag and continued pulling things out of her draws and putting them in the bag. Let's hope this isn't heavy...

Tani sat in front of her draws with a thoughtful look on her face, she stared at the many items splayed before her. Determining which items were more important than the others. She didn't want to over or under pack. She wouldn't need any extra clothes because it's gonna be hot. She didn't have any water bottles to pack because she missed the dimension store in Nanohana thanks to Luffy being lost. She already had the camera, some snacks and her Walkman... Oh her yo-yo's too! What else?

Since it was sandy she didn't need her roller blades because those bad boys would sink in the stupid sand... Sand sucks! Unless... There were stone paths in Nanohana, maybe the bigger cities have paths too... Was it worth it? Maybe she could ask Vivi about the city?

"Ready to go?" Vivi asked after a moment. Tani blinked, had that much time passed? Vivi had a neatly folded envelope in her hands. Tani pulled her rather light bag onto her back.

"Let's get going," Tani smiled. The princess gave a nod and headed to the door. Tani followed behind Vivi while fixing up her head cover, it was a scarf that kinda looked like the one Zoro was wearing, but it's colour was the same light green as her cloak. She unfortunately had to leave her lucky cap behind because it just wouldn't be practical.

"Hey Vivi! Does the ci-" Tani started once they made it outside, she failed to notice the carelessly forgotten bag left right in front of the door. Tani tripped and slammed face first into someone. Who was it? She didn't know because her face was smothered in human. What she could conclude though, was the person was a guy because... Well of course she can tell the difference.

"You should really watch where you're going there klutz," that not so familiar deep voice snickered. Oh whoops... Tani pushed herself off Ace but in doing so tripped backwards over the same god damn bag! Ace grabbed one of her flailing arms to prevent her from looking like any more of an idiot than she already felt like she was. Her cheeks were a fiery red, a mix of embarrassment and the scorching heat of the sun.

"You called? Oh-" Vivi started as she walked back onto the boat. Tani steadied herself and scooted away from Ace.

"Uh, oh yeah. Does the place we're going have stone paths? I dunno if I should pack my skates or not," Tani asked while trying to cool her cheeks down. Vivi clapped her hands together and gave Tani a closed eye smile.

"They do. In fact all of our major cities and smaller towns do," she said cheerily. Her princess pride very evident in her tone... And she was just talking about the paths. Tani wishes she had this much pride in her homeland, too bad it was pretty lame in comparison to pirates and desert kingdoms.

"So you reckon I should bring them?" Tani inquired. Vivi went to answer, but a voice cut in over hers.

"If it's your weapon of choice, bring it," Ace said coolly, sliding his own cloak on.

"Tani hurry up!" Nami sounded like she was on a rampage. Stomping up the gangplank to tell Tani off (she wouldn't yell at Vivi or Ace because of course not). Tani tensed and bolted back into the cabin to grab her skates.

Tani returned quickly, and by quickly it means Nami stormed into the cabin after about 5 minutes because Tani was having trouble tying the knot around one of her skates. The red head hauled Tani out of the cabin and tossed her off Merry and into the sand in front of the gathered crew. Clapping her hands to rid them of dust.

"Now that everyone is finally here," she glared at Tani, who poked her tongue out in a childish manner. "We can finally start making our way to Yuba," Nami declared, turning to Vivi who was now explaining the directions and all that jazz. Tani didn't really pay attention, she was too busy digging through her bag to find a-

"Hey Tani whatcha doing?" Luffy asked, his cloaked arm lazed over her shoulders to look in her bag. She grabbed around the small orb and pulled it out of the bag.

"Usopp do you have any string?" she asked, turning to look at the long nosed man. He scoffed as if that was the dumbest question, but pulled out a huge line of string.

"Sweet, I need to make a bell thingy for Ace so he doesn't get lost," she said aloud, to answer Luffy's question from earlier. Ace looked at them at the mention of his name. Finding the long nosed guy and klutz working on looping a small bell onto a line of string while Luffy hung off the girls shoulders. Ace smirked at the sight, his little brother was such a-

"Here you go," Tani said as she offer the string with the bell dangling from it to Ace. "It's so we don't lose you during the journey," she explained. Ace shook it, hearing no sound.

"Only Tani can hear it," Luffy explained with a beaming grin, "Isn't she the coolest!" he praised, Tani clapped her hands on her cheeks to hide the very obvious blush on her cheeks.

"Am not, I probably just have better hearing than you. That's nothing special," she deflected. Ace felt like laughing at the pair, what a charmer his little brother was.

"Yosh! Let's go!" Luffy commanded, his free arm pumping in the air. Taking the lead with Tani still attached to his side. The crew followed behind the eager captain, Ace could only grin as he followed the same old Luffy he cared for so deeply.

...

"It's hooooooot" Luffy complained for the 52nd time (yes Tani was counting) in the last three hours. He was lagging behind, using a huge stick he found on the way as a hiking stick. Vivi and Nami had taken the lead. Sanji, Tani and Usopp were behind them, Ace behind them next to Zoro, who was pulling Chopper along on a sled.

Tani could feel the sweat dripping from her skin. If only she could have bought some water bottles! Why did Luffy need to get lost so quickly? Hell even a fan would have helped.

"It's hoooooooooot!" Luffy complained again, his mouth hung low as he breathed heavily. It was kinda scary how wide his mouth could do that, being made of rubber was such a weird power. Now that she thought about it.

"Hey Ace?" she called behind her, turning on her heel and walking backwards to face the older man. He lifted his gaze to look at her with that trademark smirk. "Luffy said you got your powers not that long ago, why did you eat the fruit?" Ace chuckled.

"I ate mine by accident, me and my first mate Deuce found the fruit on the first island we landed on and got so hungry that we both ate it," he said with nostalgia. "I took the first bite so I got the powers, while Deuce got a whole bite of nasty fruit." he laughed heartily.

"But now you can't swim, I think that trade off is totally not worth it." Tani remarked. Ace tilted his head.

"The pay off can be pretty great sometimes. Example being mine," he flicked his fingers, they lit like a match. "My whole body is made of fire, so nothing can hit me," he sounded confident. Tani decided to challenge that.

"What about a fire extinguisher? Or a fire blanket? Those are made to literally snuff out fires," she shot back with a smirk. Ace quirked an eyebrow. "Well? If you think about it, you're made of fire. So depriving you of air or covering you in whatever it is in the fire extinguisher would take you down wouldn't it?" she thought aloud.

"What in the blaze's a fire extinguisher?" he looked like he'd just found out about a new secret weapon.

"They have them around schools and buildings in case of fires. It's this red thingy with a hose that sprays this white foam stuff that puts out fires," Tani replied. Oh right! He wouldn't need to worry about something like that. "It's something from my homeland, so you don't need to wo-"

"where you from? I don't think Trip has ever mentioned those before," Ace asked curiously.

"Tani's world has so many cool things!" Luffy chirped. Wasn't he dying just a second ago? "Hey Tani? Do you have-"

Trip!

Tani's foot clipped something protruding from the ground. She fell backwards, landing in the awaiting arms of Sanji. What was wrong with her today? Tani kept tripping over things, she wasn't normally this clumsy was she?

"Thanks Sanji," she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck as he steadied her onto her feet again. He gave her a pleased smile.

Tani looked around and found that everyone had stopped walking. Now that she wasn't tripping over like a doofus, she found herself staring at the empty remains of a town. Only the top halves of the houses could be seen, dried up trunks and sticks littered the sandy ocean. The wind carried thick layers of sand that could cut the skin if the wind traveled much faster.

Vivi stood frozen, her shoulders shook up and down in a mix of anger and sadness. Nami stood by her side, rubbing the small of the blue haired princesses back. Usopp and Luffy were exploring the area, Zoro was sitting in the shade with Chopper. While Sanji, Ace and Tani stood around with nothing better to do.

"Should we? Comfort Vivi or something?" Tani asked, half a roll-up hanging out her mouth. Sanji went to light a cigarette, Ace gladly lit the end of it for the chef who gave him an appreciative smile. Sanji let out a smokey breath.

"I think she just needs some time to process all of this," the blonde sighed sadly. For a guy that's obsessed with women, he sure can read the room. Tani frowned, hopefully Vivi feels better soon.

"So Tani," Ace spoke from beside her. She looked up at him with a hint of nervousness. "Tell me more about fire extinguishers," he said with the most serious tone. Tani almost wanted to laugh at how nervous she had felt.

"What is there to say? They put out fires," she shrugged, Ace narrowed his eyes.

"What about that blanket you mentioned? The one that puts out fires," she asked curiously. "how does that work?"

"You get this fire proof blanket and cover the open fire. Because there's a lack of oxygen it snuffs out the fire. Poof! All gone," she made a motion with her hands. Ace nodded as he absorbed the information. "My turn to ask a question. How come you're more human and solid now? Even though you're made of fire?"

"I have no idea, that's just how the fruit works I guess," he shrugged.

"Hey guys, found something!" Luffy called from far away. Everyone got up to examine Luffy's find... It was a human skull. Tani had seen skulls before, hell she'd dissected many animals for science class (which included skulls) not to mention all the horror movies she had watched with her mum. Yet seeing the real deal just... Felt like a whole new level that she wasn't quite ready for mentally.

Vivi was affected the worst though, her screams echoed off the empty hollow buildings of the town. A horrific sound filled with pain and sorrow. She fell to her knees in anguish and covered her face with shaking hands.

"I'm gonna kick Crocodile's ass!" shouted Luffy angrily. His arms held high in the air, ready to take down the monster who did this. Vivi looked up at the angered captain with a determined glare, as if saying she too was ready to kick this guy's ass.

"We need to hurry to Yuba, or else every towns going to end up like this one," Nami reminded. The desert princess lifted herself off the sandy ground, a new spark of determination lit up in her eyes. She nodded and took the lead again, storming through the desert with the straw hats following behind.

...

"Hooooot..." Luffy groaned for the 78th time in the last two hours.

"Too hoooot..." Usopp complained for the 44th time in the last two hours.

Tani could feel her limbs growing tired, a mix of the intense heat and her lack of stamina making the journey difficult on her aching body.

"We get it! You're hot can you shut up!" Nami shouted at the pair who were trailing behind the group.

"But it's hooooooot," Luffy whined. Tani turned around to face her captain, it didn't help that he was carrying one of the more heavy bags. Maybe he wouldn't feel so tired if he swapped bags with someone. Looking at her own, which was light because of its size and contents.

"Luffy, why don't we swap bags?" she said with slight hesitation. She wanted to help Luffy not be so tired, but he has a record for being reckless. Tani's bag was one of her most precious items. Yet she trusted that the bag was in safe hands... Relatively. "Since my bag is much lighter, you won't feel so tired," she explained. Luffy perked up at the mention of less tired.

"But I don't wanna carry any bags... Hey Zoro! Can we put all the bags on the sled?" Luffy asked. Zoro tsked at that, pointing a thumb at Chopper who was over heating on the sled.

"Chopper needs it more than our stuff does. Quit whining," he barked, giving Chopper a worried glance. Aww he was worried about Chopper, what a dad.

"How about we play rock paper scissors, winner needs to carry all the bags," Luffy declared. Holding his hand out ready to play. Sanji, Usopp, Zoro and Tani all put their hands in to play.

"Wait did he say winner needs to hold the-" Tani started but was silenced by Sanji who motioned for her to draw paper.

"Rock!"

Sanji wouldn't let her win the game, because he wouldn't want her to hold all the bags.

"Paper!"

But if everyone was in on this, then that would leave Luffy holding all the bags.

"Scissors!"

Everyone flicked their hands. Sanji, Zoro and Usopp held their hands flat. While Tani and Luffy had two fingers pointed out.

"Scissors beats paper! We win," Luffy laughed with victory. Sanji looked at Tani with shock.

"Well looks like you guys won," Usopp snickered, "Have fun carrying all the bags you two," he said with a sing song voice. Dropping his bags on the ground and walking away.

"Hey! We won though," Luffy said with a stomp of his foot.

"Luffy you said the winner needs to hold all the bags," Zoro shook his head at the idiot captain, dropping the bag he was holding and returning to the sled to pull Chopper along.

"Tani dearest, let me hold your share of the bags," Sanji pleaded. Tani shook her head, sliding on the bag Zoro dropped at their feet. "A woman shouldn't be treated like a packing mule," he whined at the girl. The mention of her being a girl struck a slight nerve.

"We won fair and square, just take it easy Sanji," Tani assured. Nami and Vivi weren't holding bags in the first place so they didn't drop anything off, while Ace held onto his belongings. Tani held onto Zoro's and her own bags, while Luffy held onto Sanji's, Usopp's and his own bags.

...

"It's hoooooooot..." cried Luffy for the 117th time in the last four hours.

"Hoooooot," Tani coughed for the 22nd time in the last four hours.

The over heated pair lagged far behind the main group. Sanji would offer to take Tani's bags every time she complained, but she refused every offer.

"Shade? Shade... Shade!" Luffy cheered, his arms already flying through the air towards the visible rocks in the distance. The rubber man went sailing passed everyone, a sandy dust cloud puffed from where he made impact.

"So... We making a pit stop?" Tani giggled as she walked passed the stilled crew. They gave her weird looks, but brushed off the statement as being just some phrase from her home world.

The group was less than 500 meters from the rocky oasis when Luffy came rushing back to them without any bags on. His arms flailed frantically as he called for a doctor to help some sickly birds. Chopper ran ahead with Luffy, leaving the rest of the crew to walk at a quickened pace.

"Vivi? Something wrong? You've had that look on your face since Luffy mentioned the birds," Nami pointed out with concern. The princess furrowed her brows in thought, before she had a light bulb moment and ran towards the rocks calling for Luffy and Chopper.

Everyone followed behind her with a quickened pace. Whatever revelation she had meant the pair were in danger. Tani's hands drifted to her pockets, fingers dancing around the strings of her yo-yo's. She glanced around to find Zoro's hand magnetise to the hilts of his blades.

They arrived at the entrance of the rocks, only to find Luffy and Chopper running around frantically looking for the now missing birds... And bags!

"I forgot to mention the Warusagi birds... They trick travellers to steal their stuff..." Vivi said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. Luffy shouted into the distance, slingshotting himself across the open desert. The boy was nothing but a blur in the distance as he chased the birds that had half their bags.

"Should someone go after him?" Vivi asked, the remaining crew all shook their heads and waved a hand.

"How about lunch?" Sanji suggested. Tani pointed in the direction Luffy ran.

"He had your bags Sanji," she said with defeat. Sanji blinked in shock, what did he think? He wouldn't let her hold his bag so of course Luffy had it. "I have some snacks if anyone wants any?" Tani offered, slipping her bag off her back and pulling out some packets of roll-ups, potato chips and twiggy sticks.

Usopp and Chopper happily took some of the snacks, their faces looking joyous at the instant treats. Sanji gave them a skeptical look but ate them anyway, he didn't seem like the kinda guy that would like prepackaged foods. Zoro and Ace stood by the entrance Luffy flew from, waiting for the guy to come back. Nami and Vivi talked among themselves about the island and it's many cities.

"Should we save any for Luffy?" Chopper asked with a couple chips in his mouth. Usopp shook his head.

"The moron lost our food in the first place, so he misses out," Usopp declared. At this Tani grabbed the half eaten packet of beef jerky and put them in her lap.

"He's currently trying to get those bags back in this scorching heat, he deserves something to eat," Tani huffed. "...Plus he would totally murder us if we didn't share," she added with a sheepish grin.

"Aww~ Tani darling is so cute when she's considerate of the shitty captain~" Sanji cooed. Tani shuffled away from his flailing arms.

"So what's the plan if Luffy doesn't come back with the bags?" Usopp asked, the end of a roll-up hanging out the corner of his mouth. Sanji gave a shrug, his thumb pointed towards Chopper.

"We could always use him as emergency meat," he said with deathly seriousness. Chopper shrieked and hid behind Zoro's leg, the swordsman death glared Sanji. Tani and Usopp giggled among themselves.

The sound of shouting echoed through the rocky oasis. The travellers turned their defensive gazes over to the cloud of dust being kicked up by none other than Luffy and what looked like a camel? That's the only desert animal Tani could think of. That wasn't the only thing apparently, because an even larger animal was chasing the pair. A giant purple lizard in fact. Vivi gasped in horror before mentioning that she forgot to mention that. Everyone deadpan stared the princess.

"Oi shitty marimo, let's go," Sanji said with a sigh, already taking a drag from his newly lit cigarette. Zoro huffed at the chef but followed him anyway. The duo stood at the entrance, everyone else having moved back to witness the show.

Luffy saw the rocks and waved rapidly at the people awaiting him. His radiant grin could be seen a mile away. The camel rushed into the opening, Luffy jumped off it's back and landed inbetween Zoro and Sanji. The three of them proceeded to beat the ever loving daylights out of the lizard. Tani turned away from the carnage to find Vivi once again racking her brain for some missing information.

Tani didn't have time to ask her, because the earth underneath her shook. Sending her tumbling backwards onto the scaly backside of yet another giant purple lizard. Vivi panicked, crying that those lizards happen to work in pairs. Everyone once again deadpanned at her. Tani didn't have much time to do so, since the lizard bent it's neck all the way back just to stare at her with its hungry yellow eyes.

The girl pulled out her yo-yo's and proceeded to smack the lizard in the face with said weapons. The lizard didn't appreciate that and snapped it's jaw at her, missing because she dodged out of the way. Tani ended up rolling off the lizard altogether, flopping into the sand bellow. The lizard reared its head back with a gurgle in the throat, eyes burning into the now panicking girl.

A hand grabbed at her ankle, Tani broke eye contact with the lizard to stare at the elongated arm of Luffy. He whipped his arm back, dragging Tani with it. The pull back was too fast, as Tani flew a couple feet off the ground and slammed into Luffy which knocked them both to the ground.

Before either of them could recover, the sound of sizzling could be heard. Tani turned back towards the lizard, only to find its purple skin was a sunburnt pink, and smoke was fizzling from its open mouth and ears. Ace stood before it, turning around to face everyone with a smirk.

"So... Who's hungry?"

...

"Jesus Christ almighty it's cold!" Tani stammered as she rubbed her arms rapidly. The crew had been walking until the early night, the air shifted from scorching hot to icy cold in the span of an hour! Hell even a fog had started escaping her lips everytime she breathed.

"Should we rest for the night?" Vivi asked from atop Eyelash the camel. The camel Luffy saved would only let women ride him, but couldn't hold more than two people so Tani opted out.

In response to her question, Luffy and Usopp both flopped onto the cooling sand and stayed there. The princess laughed and jumped from the camels back.

Setting up camp was easy, since Tani had been holding Zoro's bags which held the tents and blankets. The only problem was the lack of fire wood, after all what's a camping trip without a camp fire? Wrong! That's what.

"Why is it so cold?" Tani complained with a shiver, regretting not bringing her denim jacket for the trip. She was so tempted to jump Ace for his warmth, the dude was made of fire for Pete's sake. An arm curled over her shoulder, a warm arm to be exact. The girl looked at Luffy who was now giving her a hug which she returned. Sapping all the warmth she could from the rubber man.

Thus the hug pile began. Usopp wrapped his around Tani's waist, sandwiching her between the two boys. Chopper ran over and hugged her legs, and boy was he warm! Like an inferno of warmth. Tani crouched down, the boys attached to her sides following her moves. Her free arms looped around Chopper's torso and pulled him closer until he was resting in her lap. Zoro sat down behind Tani and leaned against her back, promptly falling asleep. Tani looked up at Sanji who looked like he wanted to join in but was too busy making dinner from the barbeque lizard meat. Nami and Vivi were once again talking among themselves merrily. Ace looked at the pile with a fondness in his eyes. Tani beckoned him over with the tilt of her head. He gave her a smirk but didn't move to join in.

Sanji called for dinner, everyone got up and ate the stewed lizard meat. Which was surprisingly good, but also not really surprising because Sanji could make a great meal out of a tomato, salt and three eggs. The crew all joked and laughed about whatever crossed their minds.

"Hey Tani," Ace spoke up, attention was now on him, "Trip doesn't really talk about her home much. Since you guys are from the same place," he started with curiosity. "Is it that different from here?" he asked. The girl swallowed her mouthful of stew.

"Well it's super different from here, because where I come from we have no pirates," she answered. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper gasped as if that was the most insane thing they'd ever heard... Hadn't she told at least Luffy and Usopp about the lack of pirates? Maybe not. "Instead we have big cities all over the globe that trade and wage war on each other because we hate each other," she said while thinking back on her history classes.

"Um what else? Well there's the fact that we don't use only boats to travel to other countries, since we have aeroplanes that travel up, up, up in the sky," she pointed up into the sky and waved her arm to the sides. "We also have cars, that are like horses but powered by fuel," she could see the shimmering curiosity in the eyes of all her listeners. It made her feel pretty special to be from such a place.

"There's also television and video games, oh an movies! I thinks movies are the only thing I really miss from home that isn't my mum," she laughed, remembering the late night movie marathons she would have with her mum.

"What's a movie?" Luffy asked while clapping his feet together. Everyone was tuning in for the answer, even Zoro paid attention.

"They're these huge hour long stories with pictures that move. They can range from horror movies with scary monsters to adventure movies with treasures," she gushed, "Oh! There's these places called the cinema, where you pay money to see a newly released movie with other people! And you get to eat popcorn and drink soda while you're there," Tani exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with joy at the thought. Luffy and the others all looked just as excited.

"We should go to the cinema!" Luffy cheered, clapping his feet and hands together. Tani gave a laugh, a hint of disappointment hanging from the end of it. She'd never be able to share her love for movies with them because they wouldn't be able to come home with her. "Do they have movies about pirates?" Luffy asked with anticipation.

"Of course there are! Movies like Treasure Island or Peter Pan have pirates, though they just hunt for hidden gold with treasure maps," she explained, Luffy hollered with awe.

"You're world sounds amazing," Nami smiled, Tani gave a nod.

"It's pretty cool from a technological view, but it's not as cool as being a pirate," Tani admitted. "There's no freedom back home, all these rules and laws you need to follow, societal standards to live up to. The only thing I need to worry about here is dying, but I have you guys to help me survive," she beamed. Sanji could be heard cooing in the background.

Ace gave a hum as he looked at the smiling girl. His eyes drifted back down to the small bell dangling from his neck. That nagging feeling in the back of his head knocked again, there really was something about her that felt familiar. Yet he couldn't pin point it.

"Puru puru puru,"

"What's that?" Tani asked, turning to look at Ace. The man reached into his bag and pulled out a small snail. She looked at it with amazement, why did he have a snail? Ace tapped the top of the snail, stopping it's ringing.

"Kachya,"

...

"OI FLAMES FOR BRAINS WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" a voice screamed from the tiny snails mouth, it's expression was not impressed in the slightest. Ace winced but that smug smirk returned in an instant.

"Aww~ missing me already Trip?" he cooed mockingly, a grumpy voice huffed from the small snail.

Trip? Was that the girl!

"How about I hop, skip, whoop your ass if you don't hurry up and report to pops?" the snail threatened. Ace laughed. Tani looked at Luffy in confusion, he just shrugged and looked back at Ace.

"Last time you tried that you almost fell into the ocean," Ace snickered, the snail groaned.

"That's because you're stupid ass was taking up all the space!" the snail growled back. Ace laughed.

"Alright alright moron, I'll report to pops in a minute. Did you find anything on your island?" he asked her with a more serious tone. The snails face narrowed.

"No, that bastard hasn't been spotted at all around here. I think he's taking the 4th path. I've heard he's been sighted on Jaya," she relayed. Ace nodded with a grimace.

"Take the 5th path and continue asking around. Jaya is my next stop-"

"Shut the hell up Dipshit, there's no way in hell I'm letting you follow that lead on your own." Trip barked. Ace smirked.

"Aww~ you worried about Lil ol' me?" he cooed. The snail was not amused.

"I'm going to send you to Impel down in a cardboard box with a shitty pink box on top if you keep being a total asswipe," she threatened. Tani had never seen such an aggressive woman in her life. "Anyway I'm signing out, remember to call Pops," she reminded.

"Will do, talk to you later partner," he ended, before hanging up on the sounds of sputtering from the snail. Which fell asleep when the voice went away.

"... Are you telling me that your version of a phone... Is a snail?" Tani blurted with humour. They all decided to just nod, since they didn't know what a phone was.

"Ace, who was that?" Luffy asked curiously. The cowboy hatted man perked up with a grin.

"That was Trip, she's the girl I told you about earlier. The one that's like Tani," Ace recounted. "She's the only official girl on the crew, since I refused to join unless she could come along too," he said with a smile.

Luffy looked ecstatic, begging Ace to let him meet her one day. Which Ace promised he would. Tani could feel the tired of the day catching up to her, the girl was about ready to hit the hay. So she stood up from the circle, walked a couple steps... And flopped on the ground. Her snores already filled the air, earning a snicker from the crew.

"How is it even possible for her to be here?" Vivi asked out of the blue, looking at the snoring girl. "Aren't alternate dimensions just a myth?" she pondered. Luffy gazed at the princess, looking back at Tani.

"Does it matter? Tani's here, that's all that matters," he ended the conversation. Walking over to Tani and flopping on top of her, falling asleep instantly. Chopper and Usopp piled on them, Zoro and Sanji leaned against the pile, Nami giggled but joined in. Leaving Vivi and Ace to stare at the pile of straw hat pirates, who were all snoring and snoozing away in each others company.


	15. Chapter 15

When Tani woke up from a full night of sleep, she didn't expect to find herself underneath a huge pile of nakama. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper were sprawled across her and each other, forming a ball of tangled limbs and snoring faces. Around them leaned Zoro, Nami and Sanji, all of them sleeping soundly.

Tani groaned at the ache in her chest from all the pressure that Luffy had pressed against her. For someone so small and thin, he sure could be heavy. She went to push herself up, but the arms tightly wound around her waist pushed her back into the sand. She tilted her head down to stare at Luffy's arms, which had looped around her waist at least three times. A snicker was heard from the girls left, she turned her head to find Ace looming nearby with a smirk.

"Yeah, he's not getting off anytime soon," he grinned. Tani went to speak, but the pile shifted. Luffy was pushed by Zoro, shoving the captain closer to Tani's face. The girls face went beet red when his nose smooshed into her cheek. She sent pleading eyes to the older brother, who was no help at all because he was too busy laughing at her situation.

"Morning already?" yawned a very tired Nami, she stretched her arms. Her balled fists accidently landing on the snoozing head of Sanji, waking him up instantly. The cook groaned, but seeing Nami so early in the morning seemed to snap him out of his groggy mood.

"Nami my love, what a beautiful morning it is to see such a gorgeous lady first-" Sanji cooed, only stopped when Zoro turned again. Knocking into Sanji and sending him face first into the sand. Sanji was not amused. "Oi! Stupid shitty swordsman, you ruined my perfect morning," Sanji growled, Zoro snored in response.

The cooks leg lifted high into the air, slamming down like a guillotine against Zoro's snoring head. The swordsman's head broke the surface of the sand, he kinda looked like an ostrich when they stick their heads in the ground. Tani burst into laughter, the shaking of her body disturbing the small form of Chopper.

"Uhnnn? Wha-" Chopper yawned. Shrieking when Zoro's sandy head burst from the ground with murderous intent. The rivaling crew mates kicked and sliced at each other, not causing any damage to one another but the conflict was loud.

Usopp stirred beside Tani, blinking himself awake when Chopper scrambled to run and hide from the scary fight. Tani was still laughing at the image of Zoro being an ostrich.

"Hmm?" Luffy mumbled sleepily. His grip loosened slightly as he woke up more and more. Tani took the opportunity to hook her fingers under his twisted limbs and scoot herself out of the loops. The air filled her lungs fully, it was glorious.

"Is it breakfast yet?... Sanji," Luffy whined, elongating Sanji's name like a child. "I'm hungry," he sulked. Flopping back into the sand with his arms held out, handle barring Tani with him. Her head smacked into the sand bellow.

"Ow! Luffy watch what you're-" Tani began complaining, but a leg slammed into Luffy. Ostriching him into the sand like Zoro was moments ago. Tani burst into laughter, holding her gut at the humorous sight.

Man what a way to wake up!

...

"Hotttt..." Luffy whined, his mouth agape and hiking stick dragging behind him.

"You're not the one carrying all the bags," Tani complained back. Sure she's holding them because she felt like it was her responsibility, but she felt like complaining so she was gonna do just that. Luffy couldn't be trusted after losing half their stuff to those thieving birds.

"Tani my dearest, let me hold all those bags for you~" Sanji twirled around to face the sweaty girl. She gave him a small wave of the hand to signify that she didn't want the help. Sanji insisted again but Tani walked faster to catch up with the main bulk of the group.

"If you're not going to share the load, don't complain," Zoro told Tani with a stern tone. The girl just stuck her tongue out and distanced herself from him. Walking beside Ace who remained quiet for most of the journey.

"Huh?" Nami said from the camels back, her face scrunched into thought. Vivi tapped her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" the princess questioned. The navigator was stuck in her thought bubble, and didn't respond.

A strong gust of wind whipped a layer of sand into the exposed faces of the travelling pirates. Tani and many others covered their faces to shield from the annoying element. A gasp was heard.

"The winds! They've picked up, we're about to be hit with a massive sand storm!" Nami cried. Tani peeked from behind her arm, only to stare into the face of the massive cloud of darkened sand rushing towards them.

"What do we do?" Usopp wailed hysterically. Nami sharpened her gaze, her navigation instincts kicked in.

"Everyone! Hold onto the person closest to you, don't let go until we've exited the storm. If we get separated, you'll have someone with you," she commanded. Tani felt a warm hand grab her upper arm, she knew it was Ace just from the heat this man packed, with her eyes covered she failed to witness the dissapointed pout of Luffy, who was now paired with Sanji and Usopp.

"Keep walking straight. See you on the other side everyone!" Nami instructed. Charging forward into the storm with determination, the group followed behind her.

The sand was brutal. Tani was lucky to have the cloak covering her exposed stomach and arms because the sandy spawn from hell was whipping with the wind so fast that she now had small cuts across her cheeks and feet. Ace's grip on her was firm, he powered through the storm like a champion. Tani's focus was on the choir of bells ringing from her nakama, a comfort to her ears. Knowing that they were all so close to her kept her from panicking.

That is until a particularly powerful gust of wind slammed into Tani with the force of a ten tonne elephant. The girl was sent flying through the air, with her only anchor being pulled along with her. The bells from her nakama faded, until only one remained. That being the man who was still holding onto her for dear life.

The sandy veil surrounding the pair faded into nothing but dusty particles in the air. The barren wasteland of sand was silent as a mouse, leaving Tani on edge.

Her nakama were nowhere to be seen.

"What the hell? What the hell! Everyone?" Tani shouted, her hands cupping around her mouth to project her voice. "Luffy! Zoro! Sanji!" she called, "Usopp! Nami! Chopper! Vivi!" she was in hysterics at this point. Walking in circles with no direction in mind.

"Tani, calm down," Ace said in a calm tone. Of course he wasn't worried! He's been a pirate for who knows how long, and has experience with travelling alone. The most Tani has ever done is catch the bus from her house to work which is only a 30 minute walk if she wasn't feeling lazy... Moral of the story! She has no survivalist experience and will promptly perish in this desert.

"Don't you tell me to calm down cowboy! I've been split from my crew and have no idea how to survive on my own in this world," Tani cried angrily, more at herself than at Ace. The older man stood calmly, with that smirk on his face.

"You're not alone klutz, you've got this guy," he pointed at himself with his thumb, "We'll find your nakama, Luffy is a magnet for trouble," Ace said lightheartedly. Tani could already feel her nerves calming down. At least she wasn't running around in circles anymore.

Slapping her cheeks to snap out of the panicked daze. She took a couple deep breaths and refreshed her mind.

"OK alright yep alrighty, what's the plan cowboy?" she asked. Ace flicked the top of his hat up and turned around.

"We'll walk this way, we were heading up north and judging by the sun," he pointed at the massive ball of heat and death in the sky, "This way is north," and with that he was off. Tani trailed behind him without a moment's hesitation.

The pair travelled in silence, give or take a couple conversations about little things like what a den den mushi was, or what adventures they've been on since becoming a pirate.

"Wait, so you're telling me that you tried to murder your captain for over a month... And he still let you join his crew?" Tani questioned the sanity of Whitebeard. Ace laughed at the memories.

"I had no choice, he wasn't taking no for an answer. Which I'm grateful for now, the old geezer is like a father to me," Ace said with a solemn smile. Tani thought about how much her own father sucked.

"At least you have a father figure, mine bailed the moment my mum said she was pregnant with me," Tani stated, Ace gave her a sympathetic look. "But who needs that loser anyway, I've got my mum and she's the best," Tani's eyes lit up at just the thought of her mum.

"She sounds like a fighter," Ace remarked, Tani nodded.

"She's the toughest cookie I know! I really miss her..." Tani looked up at the clear sky, Ace gave a sigh.

"I'm sure you'll have a chance to see her again," he said, patting her on the back. She gave him a small smile.

"I hope so-" the ground underneath the girl wobbled and shifted. The girl was pushed into the air just as she had been when that giant purple lizard showed up. Only this time it was a giant...

"SCORPION!" Tani shrieked. The menacing stinger loomed over her quivering body that rested on the slick backside of the scorpion. She looked over the side of the creature and almost had a heart attack from how high she was. She covered her face in fear, why was everything in this world so tall!

Yank!

The back of her cloak was scrunched into the ball of Ace's fist. His demeanor was serious and battle ready. He jumped down towards the ground, Tani shrieked and hooked her arms around his neck in fear. His arms shifted her into a princess carry position. Landing with a thud on the solid sandy ground. Tani flopped on the ground as he dropped her to deal with the threat.

"Geez, aren't you rude interrupting another man's conversation," Ace said with the crack of the knuckle. His burning gaze staring holes in the scorpion, which roared a battle cry and charged. Ace flicked the rim of his hat and with the rearing of his fist, charged forward in a ball of flames.

"Hiken!"

It was impressive for the stunned girl sitting dumbly in the sand. The whole scorpion burst into flames, which subsided and left the once purple shell of the beast as a raw pink. This desert was full of purple creatures wasn't it?

Ace landed on the ground with elegance, turned on his heel to face a stunned Tani. He grabbed her upper arm and hauled her off the ground. Her jelly like legs causing a fumble or two.

"That... That was awesome!" she stammered. Ace gave her a prideful grin, "That was like a super hero move! You were just bam pow boom!" she threw her arms around with excitement. Probably using up the adrenaline that her body had pumped her with. Ace let out a chuckle.

"Shall we continue?" he swept a hand towards the direction north. Tani nodded and started her trek towards her nakama.

...

"I think it likes you," Tani giggled as the small purple lizard with big googly eyes mirrored Aces ever step. Ace glared at it with a twitchy eye, the lizard burst into tears. Tani was clutching her stomach in laughter at the display. Ace glared at her but turned his attention back to the lizard. His arm lit up a brilliant orange glow as the fire danced across it. The lizard cried harder, frantically waving it's stubby arms and tail in a panic.

"How's barbeque lizard sounding?" he asked aloud, not really looking for an answer. Tani snorted, looking at the pathetic display of fear on the lizards face.

"Better than cooked scorpion," she commented. The lizard squealed and ducked it head to the ground. Ace looked at the cowering creature and did what any rational person would do... He mounted it.

"Ace what the hell are you doing?" she said with slight shock. The fire man flicked the rim of his hat with that trademark smirk. Beckoning her over with the tilt of his head. Tani trotted over, Ace held out a hand to the curious girl. Which she took because let's be real he's the only reason she hasn't been stabbed to death via giant scorpion.

"We've got ourselves a ride klutz," Ace said smugly while hauling Tani onto the lizard that was much stronger than it looked. "Now let's go find my little brother," he declared, pulling on the red scaly whatever that part of a lizard is called.

The lizard squealed and ran forward quickly, kicking up dust clouds of sand in its wake. The wind whipping into Tani's face and hair felt refreshing in this smoldering heated desert.

...

"Hey klutz?" Ace asked, breaking the hour long silence that had reigned over the pair since acquiring the lizard steed.

"It's Tani... Flames for brains," she replied with her tongue poking out in mockery. Ace scoffing, giving her a pout that wouldn't look out of place on Luffy. Huh... She hasn't been away from the straw hatted captain for this long since she arrived.

Now that she really thought about it, she was feeling that nervous pit from before fill her stomach. She missed the meaningless banter between Sanji and Zoro, and Usopp's funny jokes. She missed her crew, even though it's been only a couple hours.

"...Klutz? Are you even listening to me?" Ace's voice burst her thought bubble. The girl shook her head and responded with a dazed look. He rolled his eyes and repeated. "I asked if you needed a break? The sun looks like its about to hit late afternoon,"

"No!" she blurted out without thinking, Ace blinked in surprise. "Uh, I just really wanna find Luffy and the others for now," she explained, Ace gave her a knowing smirk. What did he know? Beats her.

"Luffy will find you, don't even worry," Ace assured. A small smile spread over her face, because she knew that what Ace had said was very true. Hell Luffy wouldn't let her stay behind on the Baratie when she offered to take his place.

"What was Luffy like when you guys were growing up? If you don't mind me asking?" Tani asked with peaked interest. Luffy never really talked about his past, except that his hat was very important to him because he needs to return it to the rightful owner when he's surpassed him. Ace practically beams at the request.

"He's pretty much the same as he was as a kid, except now he can actually hit things with accuracy," Ace said with a small chuckle. Tani snickered at the thought of Luffy getting tangled around trees and buildings.

"Luffy's always been the kinda guy that draws people in, it's annoying as hell but I'll be damned if it isn't effective," Ace smiled, losing himself to the fond memories of his idiot little brother.

"Luffy was my first real friend in years..." Tani said out of the blue. Ace gave her a surprised look. "Back home, people can't seem to look past my looks and childish personality. I only have my mum and myself," she said with a jolt of sadness. Her lids drooping as she stared out at the empty desert. Ace remained silent.

"Luffy didn't even question wanting me to join his crew, he knew nothing about me. Didn't even question my motives or skill sets, he just smiled and accepted me into his life with open arms," Tani's eyes teared up a little. "I don't think he knows just how much that declaration of friendship means to me," she sighed with a smile. Ace looked into her teary eyes with a softer version of his smirk. Tani coughed and looked away.

"You heard none of that," she huffed, Ace only laughed at that and turn back to steering the lizard. A comfortable silence once again taking over.

...

"I think there's a town up ahead," Ace yawned, having dropped out of this conscious plane of existence for the last 40 minutes. Much to the fear of Tani, who now had both her yo-yo's tied around his waist to keep him on the lizard.

"Oh so you wake up now! The lizard almost dropped you like a mile back!" Tani scolded, smacking Ace upside the head. "Now stay still I need to untangle my strings," she grumbled, much to the amusement of Ace.

"Quit laughing, honestly how can you pirate by yourself if you fall asleep randomly?" Tani thought aloud. Ace chuckled.

"Just can, sure it's annoying at times but you manage it," he said like it was no big deal. "Plus it only happens when I'm relaxed, and let's be honest you aren't a threat,"

Tani puffed out her cheeks and smacked him upside the head again, earning a groan and glare from the fire man. He rolled his eyes and point back at the approaching town up ahead.

"Let's go see if Luffy and the others have shown up yet," Ace suggested. Tani nodded in agreement. Ace directed the lizard to speed up.

When the pair arrived, they wandered around for an hour before realising that the straw hats were nowhere to be seen. Tani let out a heavy sigh of defeat, Ace bumped her shoulder and gave her an assuring smile.

"Wanna grab something to eat?" he asked. She nodded, might as well pass the time. He took the lead, walking towards the nicest building in the whole town, why this one? It didn't look like a pub or anything. In fact it looked more like the house of the mayor or something along those lines.

Ace walked through the entrance and surprise surprise, it was indeed a house. He kept walking, probably following the smell of food wafting through the air. Pushing open a large set of doors, the pair found themselves facing a large table of cooked foods that made their mouths water at the sight of it. They practically ran to the table and shoved food into their mouths. Well Ace did, Tani had some table manners... Barely. What she was hungry! And seeing fresh fruit was her breaking point.

"Who the hell are you guys?!" a new voice called from the entrance. Tani's eyes widen as she turned her stuffed face to look up at this bandit looking blonde guy. Ace didn't even bother to look away from the mountain of food he had piled in front of him... Luffy's brother indeed.

"Uh..." Tani gurgled, swallowing the chewed food in her cheeks and stammering over an explanation as to why Ace had brought them here. But the guy ignored her, pushing her aside to glare at Ace who was still ignoring him.

The guy grabbed Ace by the shoulder and turned him to face his angered glare. Ace just stared back lazily, before flicking the guys hand off and turning back to his food. Tani tried to draw the mans attention back to her so he wouldn't bother Ace who was very clearly stronger than him.

*Thunk*

The rooms inhabitants all turned to find a snoring Ace with his face planted in a plate of food. The bandits all jumped into action, going in to attack the downed pirate. Unfortunately they underestimated Tani, who whipped out her yo-yo's in annoyance and proceeded fend them off without much effort, they weren't a threat at all. She almost had some trouble against the blonde guy (who she now knew was named Camus). Though to her surprise she managed to take them all out without much trouble.

Ace let out a yawn, lifting his face out of the plate. Tani burst into laughter at the sight of his food covered face. Honestly considering taking a photo... Oh she had a camera! She could do that. Ace looked at her with confusion as she pulled her bag in front of her and whipped out the device.

"Say cheese!" she snickered, taking the shot before he had time to register what had happened. He blinked twice before registering that she had take the photo. He jumped out of his seat and chased after her, the girl laughed as she bounced off walls to narrowly avoid the maddened fire man. All while ignoring the bandits that laid knocked out on the concrete flooring of the room.

"Camus! Camus! Hurry there's been sightings of desert pirates headed towards the town! We need the rebels help!" a man begged from the other side of the door. The blonde groaned from his spot on the ground. Answering back at the man that they would take care of it. Tani and Ace had halted their game of chase to listen to these "rebels" plan of taking them out.

What Tani didn't expect was for all of them men to panic and beg for Tani and Ace to help them keep up their facade of being rebels. Ace took the reins of the conversation, asking for them to provide supplies like food, water and camping gear as compensation for the work. The fake rebels agreed and handed them a fully prepared sled of said items.

So here they were now, riding towards the massive ship that had docked for a moment outside the town (yes a sand ship! Tani was excited at the thought) the ship was only there for about 20 minutes before it sped away. Ace and Tani looked at the spot the boat was, only to find a small group walking towards the town. A choir of bell chimes very barely hit Tani's ears, her excitement bubbled as she made a mad dash for her nakama. Ace followed behind slowly.

"Everyone!" Tani called out with a huff. She had no time to react when she noticed Luffy slingshot himself towards her direction. The rubber man collided with her unsuspecting body, sending them both into the sand with a thwump. "Luffy! I missed you!" she hiccuped, much to her embarrassment. Wrapping her arms around him as he did to her.

"Tani! Where were you? We missed you so much," Luffy whined. Tani gave a laugh and just hugged him tight. The rest of the crew arrived and began welcoming Tani and Ace back. Vivi was quick to point out the extra supplies.

"Where did you find the money for those? I hope you didn't spend your own funds Ace," Vivi asked with guilt in her tone. The older man brushed her off.

"No we got this for free, Tani and I encountered some fake rebels or whatever they were," he started. Vivi widened her eyes at the mention of fake rebels. "The mayor asked them to dispatch the sand pirates but they got cold feet and asked Tani and I to do it. In exchange for supplies," Ace explained. Tani stood up with Luffy still clinging to her side like a monkey.

"There was like five guys doing it too. That village is screwed if there's an actual attack," Tani commented. Vivi balled her fists with anger.

To say Vivi was royally pissed off was an understatement, the thought of those bandits lying to exploit the vulnerability of those people. Yeah she wasn't having it.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Usopp asked, knowing exactly where this was going.

Vivi felt a smirk crawl up her cheeks, beckoning the straw hats to huddle and listen to her plan. A plan that would test the bandit groups courage in the face of a real threat.

...

Tani ran back into the town with the plan on her mind, her hands cupped over her mouth as she shouted loudly for all to hear.

"SAND PIRATES ARE HERE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

She repeated the message over and over. The sounds of screaming and panic filled the town. The towns people all crowded around the bandits hide out, pulling them out to face the pirates that awaited them outside the gate. Tani made sure to position herself exactly where Vivi had told her to. Right beside the main gate into the town, within Luffy's eye sight. The straw hat pirate put on his most intimidating face, as did Zoro, Sanji, Usopp and Chopper (in heavy point) who were surrounding the now exposed "rebels".

"We've come to take over this town!" Luffy shouted, his voice echoed over the crowd of people watching the fight. Camus was standing in the centre of it all. Wide eyed at the horror that is the straw hatted captain. Tani had a hard time keeping the grin from crawling up her face.

"Oh yeah!" Camus said with a slight shake in his tone. "Well you better leave! This town houses 10,000 rebels that will wipe you out at a moment's notice!" he threatened with a very very obvious lie. Honestly who would believe-

"10,000?!" both Luffy and Chopper gasped at the same time, eyes bugging from their heads. Usopp rolled his eyes and pointed at Camus with an accusing finger.

"Idiots! He's lying, it's a trick!" Usopp assured the moron captain and naive reindeer. The pair calmed down, Luffy's shock was replaced with anger.

"How dare you lie to me!" he roared, winding up his arm to pistol the liar. Tani took that as her cue to speak.

"What are you waiting for? Take out the pirates! Save the town!" she shouted, her voice boomed over the silent townspeople. "Save us! Save us!" she chanted, it was like a football game at school. When one person starts to chant, so does everyone else.

"Save us!"

"Go rebels!"

"You've got this!"

The overwhelming support from the townspeople seemed to cause a switch in the "rebels" attitude. Camus who looked like a deer in the headlights before, was now standing taller. Still shaking but with a new found determination bubbling like an inferno.

"You scummy pirates! Leave this town," Camus demanded, balling his fists ready to attack. His followers doing the same, brandishing their weapons. "Leave now! This town is under our protection!" Camus shouted with his heart and soul. Tani looked up at Vivi, who was behind a rock with Nami. The princess gave a nod, and signalled to Tani that this was over.

Tani nodded and signalled to Luffy that it was go time. The captain gave a smirk and nodded. Turning his gaze back to the bandits turned rebels.

"Oh no! They're too strong!" Usopp called from the sidelines. Flailing his arms in horror and making a run for it. Sanji mimicked Usopp's actions and took off. Zoro ran away without making a fool of himself, Chopper tucked under his arm. Luffy gave a smile and turned tail to run back to the girls.

Ace appeared from the shadows, placing a hand over Tani's shoulder. She gave him a satisfied smile, turning to follow after her captain. She really was grateful to have them back.

...

"Hey... Who was messing with my camera?" Tani asked while walking with Luffy beside her. She noticed the lack of roll left in the canister, she wanted to take a photo of the sunset. She'd need to replace the roll... So who used the extra film?

"Tani can't this wait until we've found a place to rest for the night?" Nami groaned, though her tone revealed that she was somewhat curious about the mystery photos. Tani sighed, putting the camera back into her bag. Fingers brushed against a plastic packet, oh right!

"Hey Luffy," she said, Luffy turned to acknowledge her. Pulling her hand out of her bag she revealed a handful of beef jerky. "I saved some for you, since you had to chase those birds and stuff," she smiled. Handing him the dried meat sticks.

Luffy snatched them without a word and shoved them into his mouth. He didn't say a thank you because the guy has the manners of a pig, but the face splitting smile and twinkling eyes was enough to know that he was thankful.

"Hey Nami," Luffy whined, elongating her name. The red head looked at him with a death glare that could and should have killed him. "Can I have some water?" he whined. Nami rolled her eyes.

"No, we need to conserve it," she said bluntly, turning back to the front of the group. Luffy whined and slowed down.

Tani giggled but kept walking faster, now standing beside Ace and Sanji. The two were having a rather pleasant conversation about the many adventures they'd been on. Tani didn't want to interrupt, but she was bored. So she decided to fix that, grabbing her Walkman and shoving her head phones on without a word.

The music began, a boppin tune already adding a spring into the tired girls step. The urge to sing was strong, but with so many people around and the resurfacing memories of her "Wake me up before you go-go" scene. She managed to quell the musical beast within her. Not really expecting that anyone would want to listen to her screech "Bennie and the jets" like the banshee that she is. Elton John would be disappointed in her for butchering such a song.

"Luffy what are you doing?!" Usopp's voice seemed to pierce through the girls headphones. She lifted one of the ears and turned to find Luffy running around like a manic with a stick, roaring about fighting Crocodile. His eyes were bloodshot and dazed.

"Why is Luffy high off his ass right now?" Tani blurted. He was being held down by Zoro, who was the only person on the crew who had any chance of actually apprehending the moron. Usopp bounced on both legs and pointed at the empty cactus piece that had been abandoned in the sand.

"I thought you could drink cactus juice?" Tani pondered, wasn't that like desert survival 101? Maybe the rules were different here. "What are we gonna do about him now?"

"I'll take him," Ace offered, walking over to the flailing Luffy. The crew watched with fascination as the older brother someone managed to calm down the cactus fueled boy. Luffy practically fell asleep as he was moved to rest on Ace's back. The straw hats all looked at each other, than Ace, than their sleeping captain. Only one question on their minds...

"HOW THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT!?"

Ace just laughed and continued to walk towards their destination. Tani smiled softly, walking faster to catch up with the fiery brother.

The crew remained silent for the next coupe hours of their travels, it was unusually quiet without Luffy causing trouble. Though it didn't go unappreciated. Tani still found herself pondering over how Ace had managed to pull off such an impossible task.

"So how'd you do it?" Zoro asked from behind. Ace turned his head to look behind him, Tani lifted one of the ears on her headphones again to listen in.

"The Luffy thing?" Ace asked, motioning his head towards the drooling boy resting on his back. Zoro nodded.

"Easy, I'm his brother, that's how," he snickered. Zoro rolled his eyes but dropped the subject. Ace pulled the slipping form of Luffy back into place, a loving smile graced his features as he looked at the brother he'd left behind years ago.

Tani smiled to herself, dropping her headphones back into place and continued walking to the beat of her music. She really loved her crew.


	16. Chapter 16

"And that's how Luffy earned his first bounty," Tani recounted to Ace who was still piggy backing the sleeping captain. He gave a hearty laugh at the wild story.

"I knew the kid was destructive, but the whole building? Guy must've really pissed him off," Ace chuckled.

"He made our lovely Nami cry, honestly that Arlong guy deserved much worse..." Sanji included, his curly brow furrowing in anger at the memories of Nami's crying and bleeding form that day.

"You know you mean a lot to someone, if they're willing to take down a whole ass building for you," Tani concluded with a nod, Ace gave a nod in agreement.

"We all owe the idiot a lot," Nami added to the conversation, "He may cause a lot of trouble, but the lucky moron always seems to come out on top," she sigh with contentment. Turning to look at the sleeping rubber man.

"Oh look there's some rocks we can use for cover tonight," Vivi called out with her finger pointing towards the jagged rock cluster in the distance. The crew picked up the pace, exerting what little strength they had left and powering through the ache in their legs. Usopp practically passed out once they made it to the opening of the rocks, leaving Sanji to drag him the rest of the way.

"Tani have you been holding all those bags this entire time?" Sanji asked as he dragged Usopp past the drowsy girl. Tani looked at her back and found that yes she was indeed holding all of those bags still.

"Huh, would you look at that. Guess I was," she tiredly snickered, her eye lids felt heavy as the days adventures finally caught up with her. She let out a massive yawn, stretching her limbs out as far as she could before bringing them back in and falling limp with sleep.

...

"...ni..."

"..tani..."

"Wake up Tani..."

"Oi, Tani wake up,"

A poking to the sleepy girls cheeks and the calling of her name, broke the girl out of her well deserved rest. Her eyes lazily opened to a face full of Luffy. His wide obsidian eyes staring into her swampy green orbs. Tani groaned, rubbing her eyes and wiping away the drool that pooled out her mouth.

"I found this really cool thing!" he whisper shouted. Who would have thought Luffy had a volume setting lower than car horn.

"Can't it wait?" Tani drawled with a yawn. Luffy shook his head, his hand already clasping around her wrist. He moved, dragging the girl through the rough sand. "Hey! Luffy stop I'm tired," she whined. Luffy just kept walking.

The pair was just outside the rocky shelter, Tani woke up enough to get up off the sandy ground and dust herself off. She was going to find sand on her person for the next seven years...

"Look! Isn't it the coolest?" Luffy said while pointing with both his arms at a small crack in the rocks. Tani rubbed her eyes, shuffling over to take a look at the crack.

What her eyes found was the most bizarre thing! It was a small gem, well a cluster of small gems. What was odd about them was the strange glow of them. A swampy green and aqua colour that mixed within the gem like a pool of water trapped inside the coloured shells of the gems.

"They look like you," Luffy beamed, showing off all of his pearly whites. Tani was at a loss for words. Her eyes flicking from the small gems, back to Luffy who looked like he'd just found the greatest treasure ever. Tani's hand grazed over the smooth surface of the cluster, a smile lit up her cheeks as she looked back at Luffy with glittery eyes.

"They're awesome," she cheered quietly. Luffy scooted over to her side, their cheeks pressed against each other as they both pressed their faces close to the crack in the rock to get a closer look at the treasure they'd found. "Should we grab some?" Tani whispered to the captain.

"They're treasure, and we're pirates. We can take whatever we want," he decreed. So Tani shoved her hand into the rock and pulled at the base of the gem cluster. It was fairly loose so with a snap! A chunk of rock with the cluster all together in one piece was pulled out of the crack. The pairs eyes dazzled at the sight.

"Whadda we do with it?" the girl asked, tilting the rock in her hands to examine every angle of its beauty. Luffy's arm found itself comfortably resting over Tani's shoulders as usual.

"Dunno, keep it I guess," he said cluelessly. Tani squinted her eyes as she thought hard on what to do with them. Maybe she could ask Usopp to make some jewellery out of it, she'd never had any jewelry that was super special because she's always been broke.

"I've got an idea on what to do with it," she grinned. Luffy nodded and turned away, sitting down in the sand looking at the shimmering night sky. "...Are you taking any?" she questioned. Luffy let out a content sigh, peaceful.

Tani sat down beside him, looking up at the clear Arabian night... Well she thinks that's what it is, is this what it would look like for Aladdin? That would be cool... Maybe they could find a genie lamp! Now that would be awesome.

"You know... I'm going to miss seeing the sky like this..." Tani sighed. The sound of Luffy's vest ruffling as he turned to face her was the only indication she had that he was now staring at her. "We have heaps of clouds and smoke and stuff that just blocks all the stars where I live," she turned to look at the wide eyed expression on Luffy's face.

"You say that like you're not coming back?" he said, almost as if he was offended at the thought of it.

"Well, it's not like I know for sure that I'll ever come back. Hell a couple months ago I thought dimension hoping was only possible in sci-fi movies," Tani retorted. Luffy puffed his cheeks like a kid and crossed his arms.

"Then don't leave at all," he bit back, Tani narrowed her brows and crossed her arms too. She could play this game.

"What about my mum? I've left her all alone at home, what should I do about her?" Tani questioned, let's see him get around this one-

"Bring her here, if you can be here then she can too. See?" he responded with a proud grin. Like he'd just won this conversation.

"And how exactly do you think I can do that?" she responded with a smugness to her tone. "After all... If I could do that, then I wouldn't have a reason to be here on the crew," OK that was a bit harsh... But he was being dumb about it in the first place. Luffy narrowed his gaze, his irises shrank back in annoyance.

"What's that supposed to mean? Why wouldn't you be on the crew?" he sounded offended. His nose flared as his piercing gaze burned into her own. She felt a lump form in her throat at the intimidating stare.

"The only reason I joined was because you guys wanted to help me get home. If I have my mum then I'm home, so you and the rest of the crew wouldn't need-"

"Shut up!" Luffy cut her off with his fists grabbing at the collar of her cloak. Dragging her closer to his angered eyes. "I asked you to join because you're nakama, not because of your goal,"

Tani's breath caught in the back of her throat. She didn't know how to respond... Guess he did win this conversation. All she could do was turn her eyes away in shame. The grip on her cloak loosened, Luffy stood up tall and proud. His gaze never leaving Tani. He held out a hand for her to take, his serious demeanour was now replaced with a softer look.

"I can't be the pirate king without everyone on my crew," he smiled with that god damn smile. Tani looked up with a shiver, something had changed here. Something she didn't quite understand yet, but from this point she knew... She was certain of it.

"Promise you'll stay. Even if we're separated, promise you'll come back. Captain's orders,"

She grasped his hand tight, pulling herself to her feet to stand before him. This was it, she understood it all so clearly.

"I swear on my life. Future king of the pirates," she saluted. Earning the familiar "shishishi" laugh of her beloved captain.

...

"Woah! Where did you find those?" Usopp and Chopper surrounded Tani as she showed off the cluster. Luffy was pestering Sanji about breakfast, Zoro was still asleep and the girls were keeping to themselves. Ace kept giving Tani a knowing look, knowing what? She had no idea but she didn't let it get to her. Ace was a weird one... In a good way!

"Luffy found it last night, so I grabbed it and dunno what to do with it. Got any ideas?" She said, handing it to Usopp so he could get a better look. The sniper looked it over, pressing his finger against the greenish parts of the gem for whatever reason.

"Yeah, I can do something with this. Dunno what yet but I'll think of something," Usopp said, giving the girl a thumbs up. Which she returned with two thumbs up and a cheeky grin.

A sweet smelling meaty scent hit Tani's nose like a truck, it was a really strong type of smell. Like the kind she would smell during a Christmas dinner. This wouldn't have bothered her if it wasn't for the fact that they had no meat (thanks to Luffy) so that smell shouldn't have been possible.

"Meat!" Luffy squealed at the top of his lungs, lunging over Tani and landing in the sand behind her. His hands clasped over a hunk of meat that was just... Laying there?! A piece of meat that had a very obvious string attached to the end of the bone. The meat was yanked away from Luffy, but Luffy being Luffy just kept a hold and was now sliding across the sand holding onto the meat for dear life.

"Luffy!" many of the crews voices called. Tani could see him zooming away in the sand, so she did the first thing that came into mind. She fished out her yo-yo's from her pockets and with accuracy (thanks to her newly developed fishing skills) managed to hook the plastic disks around Luffy's ankle.

"Help me pull him in!" she shouted at the surprised on lookers, but as they moved to help her. Luffy kicked his leg up and sent the unprepared Tani tumbling forwards. Slamming into the sand, which shifted under her weight. She zoomed away from the crew, dragging behind Luffy. "Luffy let go!" Tani cried, coughing up the mouthful of sand she breathed in.

"No!" he replied, coughing a little as well. Tani let out a groan, why couldn't yo-yo's be retractable? Then she could just sit on Luffy rather than be dragging behind him.

"Jesus Christ Luffy it's just a chunk of meat! On a god damn hook! Are you that dumb? It's bait! Like when we use apple pieces for fish bait!" Tani cried out, spitting out the sand. Luffy turned back to look at her, as if he'd just noticed that she was being dragged along. She gives him an annoyed look, but he just ignores her and turns back to the meat.

Tani looks at the surrounding sands. How long was this string?! Who was on the other end? Would they kill them on sight or just let them go? Oh great now she was over thinking, leading to panic and fear. How peachy...

A towering greyish purple rock came into view. Though the top was too high up for her to see anyone on top... A pit formed in her stomach at the thought of going up so high if the fisherman was up there. Her panic took over and she began struggling to remove the strings attaching her to the yo-yo's on Luffy's ankles.

*Snap*

All of a sudden Tani stopped moving, her body sank into the sand from her momentum. Shaking off the sand that now covered her face... Luffy had somehow snapped the string that attached the meat to the fishing line. The hunk of meat already being shoved into his stretched out cheeks

"Oi! What are you youngsters doing down there?" an oldish man's voice called out. He certainly sounded no younger than 35, the dryness of his voice showing dehydration from the scorching heat. Tani used her hand to protect her eyes from the flaming ball of heat in the sky as she turned her head up to see a blob atop the rocks.

"Don't mind us!" she called, waving her whole free arm up at the man. The man waved back, though seemed to stumble slightly. Dropping something long on the surface of the rock. Tani paid no mind to it until...

"Shit! Run!" the man's hoarse voice shrieked in a panic. His form disappearing from Tani's curious eyes. Now that he'd left her vision, she now found herself staring at the dropping form of a small ball speeding towards the sandy ground that she and Luffy were currently standing on.

Tani had no time to process what the ball was, as she found her torso was now wrapped in Luffy's arm. The other was thrust towards the top of the rock... The very tall rock... The very very tall rock! Luffy turned to her, his eyes glimmering in a secret promise. Tani gave a nervous gulp, watching the hand grip around the cliff edge. Her entire body jerked upwards, Luffy's coiled arm squeezing around her tightly to assure her that she was in good hands... Or arms?

The speed Luffy had jet them upwards prevented the world from being anything more than a blur of warm yellows and the crystal clear blue of the sky. That didn't help the pressure building in Tani's stomach nor the black spots appearing in her vision as her brain threatened to shut down from the pure terror she felt. God she would never get over heights...

Then it all came to a halt. Tani found herself planting both feet on the ground, the arm around her unravelled leaving only a hand gripping around her waist. Her arm instinctively found itself wrapping around Luffy's shoulders, hooking over his neck. If she's going down then she sure as hell wouldn't be going alone! It's all his fault she's in this mess after all.

The pair found themselves staring at the shuddering form of an older man. He had sand stains all over his overalls and red shirt. His shaggy hair was covered with a hat akin to an army man's helmet. He kinda looked like a hill billy doctor eggman which would have caused Tani to laugh if she wasn't thinking about the certain death drop the loomed oh so close to her side. Her hooked arm tightened around Luffy's neck as sweat poured from her nervous pores.

"Sir-"

*Kaboom*

The base of the rock shook violently. Tani's already unstable footing wobbled, slipping backwards and dipping in Luffy's arm like a ball room dancer... If there was a 50ft tall drop under her! Her vision blacked out as her brain shut down at the sight of the golden waves far far beneath her.

...

"Ack!" Tani spat, her heart racing and head spinning as she launched forward. Her head smacking into the squishy back of someone, her entire body bobbed up and down which honestly made her want to hurl.

"You're awake!" Luffy's joyful voice cheered, a tightening around her waist let her now that Luffy was once again holding her. Where were they? "The old guy's taking us back to the crew," he grinned. Tani nodded slowly, her head and stomach needed time to settle down. It's too early for this...

The trio bounced along the sandy planes. The old guy explained that he was a bounty hunter by the name Scorpion, and that he wanted to hunt down and capture the infamous "Fire fist Ace".

"Wait you wanna take out Ace? Like the guy that can literally set himself on fire Ace? You know he's like... Worth a lot of money right?" Tani tried to reason. Honestly this guy had balls if he was gonna fight the guy that took out like what? Four or five Baroque works ships like it was another regular afternoon. "Are you sure? He'd fry you like a crispy strip," her voice laced with concern.

The man just gave a hearty laugh. Explaining his reasons for wanting to take out Ace, something about his little boys at home and proving that anyone can achieve anything if they put their minds to it. A solid moral you'd get from a Saturday morning cartoon, but this isn't some TV show now is it.

"I see the place! Hey guys!" Luffy shouted at the top of his rubber lungs, waving his whole arm at the small coloured blobs they were approaching. Tani looked over Scorpion's shoulder and waved (less violently) at her crew mates.

The bird that the trio were riding came to an abrupt stop, the momentum jerked Tani's face into Scorpions back again. Smacking a little too hard, if she didn't have a headache after this she would be coloured impressed.

"Alright, watch and be amazed," Scorpion stated with a hopeful grin. Luffy jumped down without a problem, Tani slipped and fell face first into the ground. Laughter entered her ears.

"How's it going Klutz?" a smug voice called from above her. She groaned and tilted her head from the sand to find Ace seated atop on of the rocks with a Cheshire grin that just screamed "please punch me in the face I'm too cocky for my own good"... Well that's how Tani interpreted it. The dark girl gave him a roll of her eyes, standing up and dusting herself off she turned back to Scorpion.

"Kick his ass Scorpion!" she cheered. Turning to see Ace giving her a playfully disapproved look, she just poked her tongue out and blew a raspberry at him. Turning away to stand beside Zoro, who looked at the soon to be battle ground with a hint of interest. "I reckon Scorpion will last about 5 minutes," Tani bet.

"I give him 2 minutes," Zoro huffed with amusement. Tani could hear the "cha-ching" from Nami's direction. The red head slithered her way over with a greedy glimmer reflecting off her eyes, as if they were filled with liquid gold.

"I heard you guys making bets," she grinned. Her arms snaking around the shoulders of both parties.

"Yeah, Zoro thinks Scorpion won't last any longer than 2 minutes. But yee of little faith shall meet thy maker!" Tani stated triumphantly. Zoro rolled his eyes and huffed.

"What does that even mean? It's obvious he won't last long, Ace is the second commander of the Whitebeard pirates of course he's gonna take out the old geezer in no time," Zoro retorted.

"Ladies ladies please, let's settle this to a bet then," Nami grinned, showing off her pearly whites. "loser has to treat the rest of the crew to dinner," she declared. Zoro sputtered and narrowed his eyes at the money hungry navigator.

"Why are we buying dinner for-" Zoro protested but a slim finger silenced him. Nami winked at him and tilted her head in the direction of the fight.

"Pleasure doing business with you ladies," Nami shut down Zoro and walked away to stand beside Vivi with that ever present glimmer of gold sparkling in her eyes. Tani turned back to watch the battle.

Scorpion set up this really big bazooka gun with a hose attaching it to a pack on his back. Ace was a good couple feet away, stretching his legs and arms. Tani decided it would be a good idea to get a picture because this looked really cool, like a big movie fight! So she whipped out the camera, positioned the two of them perfectly within frame.

3...

2...

1...

*Snap*

The camera captured the scene, and with that the fight began. Scorpion took aim and fired a net in the direction of Ace, which the fire man just set on fire as it passed through him. He gave a smirk and flicked the top of his hat as the net was set ablaze behind him, the flames on his skin flickered to life. Dancing towards the palms of his hands in the forms of little fire balls.

Zoro shoulder bumped Tani and gave her a smirk, she rolled her eyes and bumped back. Come on its been at least a minute since this started... OK maybe it's been 30 seconds, but Scorpion isn't out yet!

Scorpion switched dials on the side of his bazooka, the click echoed off the rocky terrain. He took aim again, pulling the trigger and releasing a spray of purplish foam from the mouth of the gun. Ace didn't even flinch, he side stepped the stream of purplish foam that splattered and sizzled next to him. Ace quirked an eyebrow at the sinking melting mess of sticky sand dissolving further into the ground.

"Heh, that kinda looks like the stuff from fire extinguishers," Tani snickered aloud. Ace nervously tensed at the mention. "Careful Ace, it might extinguish you!" she joked. Ace's face heated up (is that even possible if the guys made of heat?).

Ace didn't pay attention to the fight going on as he frowned at the dark skinned girl mocking him, and barely dodged the second shot of acidic foam directed for his torso. Ace shot some fire balls at scorpions direction, the man fumbled and knocked himself and the bazooka to the ground in a drop roll to avoid the fiery balls.

Scorpion recovered, setting the heavy weapon on his shoulder. Twisting the dial again to yet another setting, aiming with his finger pressed against the trigger.

"Dad stop!" a pair of young boys called, pushing past Sanji and Usopp. When did these kids get here?

"Chip? Dip? What are you kids doing out here?" scorpion gasped. His body turning to face the two scruffy looking boys running towards him.

*Click bang*

A familiar round ball shot out the gun, it's aim no longer on Ace. No now it was aiming right for a stray rock that towered above everyone that isn't Ace!

"Shit! That's a bomb!" Tani shrieked, grabbing Zoro's muscular arms and pulling on him to get away. The man followed with a fumble. Clearly not expecting the adrenaline pumped strength of the shorter woman.

The bomb made impact with the rock the two were previously leaning on, shards and chunks of rock exploded from the base. Raining over the small humans that scattered away from it.

For the third? Third time that day, Luffy looped his arm around not just Tani, but Zoro as well. Whipping them to his side with the rest of the crew. Zoro scolded the careless captain, who only sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and laughed. Tani found her gaze drawn to the forgotten bounty hunter and his children, huddling together in a tight hug. Unaware of the danger that was flying towards them. The father held his children close, the boys cried into his arms with relief and joy.

Ace flew backwards, landing in front of the reunited family. His arms lit up, similar to how they had when he created the fireballs. The flames wisped around his fingers, growing brighter by the millisecond. He gave a smirk and charged forward.

"Hiken!" he called out, throwing a punch in the air towards the massive rock that threatened to pancake the family. The flames that once adorned his fists, flew out and incinerated the rocks into nothing more than pebbles. Which harmlessly bounced off the father and children.

Ace flicked his hat and turned to face the crew, winking at them with that cocky smirk.

"Oh Tani~" Nami sang in a singsong voice, her shoulder rubbing against Tani's. "That battle sure wasn't long now was it?~"

"...Dammit!"

...

"So he didn't have the information you needed?" Sanji asked curiously to Ace. The flaming pirate shook his head.

"He had information, it just leads to Jaya, which is the next island over." he grinned, leaning into his pack and pulling out the familiar looking snail phone. He pulled out the mic part and held it to his mouth. "Trip you there?" he asked.

"What you want hothead?" a tired and very irritated voice called from the other side.

"Aw~ did I wake you up from your beauty nap?" Ace cooed. A groan followed by a yawn escaped the snails mouth.

"You'll need some beauty sleep when I'm done with you hot stuff," Trip grumbled. Ace chuckled. "Anyway flames for brains, what you want? Did you report to the old man?" Trip questioned, sounding a little more awake.

"I just missed Teach, my lead heard he's on Jaya. I'm heading over there now," Ace reported with a serious expression, that fiery flame in his eyes laced with revenge. "Meet up on Jaya when you can," Ace requested. Trip grumbled on the other end and hung up.

"Trip? Oi!" he yelled into the mic with mild irritation. "The nerves, I'm her commander and she hung up," he grumbled with his face in a pout.

Sanji pat him on the back, his expression conveying that he too has been through a similar situation.

"INCOMING BITCHES!" A new voice called out, a pair of legs wrapped around Ace's back and slammed him into the ground face first. A woman sat on his back, straddling him. Her head lifted, a messy tangled bun bounced atop her head as she revealed her resting bitch face to the crew. Her eyes scanned everyone, silently judging everyone. Then her face relaxed and she leaned back with a smirk that rivaled Ace's own.

"Well look at that, Ace brought along a bunch of rookie-" she paused when her eyes landed on the straw hat captain. Who was picking his nose because he couldn't give any less of a damn about this mystery woman that just randomly appeared outta this air... Tani can't really blame him, he's dealt with that before. "Holy shit, Ace is that the little bastard you call a brother? He's more of a dumb ass than I thought he would be," she giggled.

"Get your fat ass off my back," Ace groaned, sitting up. The girl rolled off and landed on the ground behind him. "And yeah that's my precious little brother, touch a hair on his head and I'll make you regret it," he said with absolute seriousness.

"Aye aye captain," she said with a mocking tone, lazily saluting.

"Luffy and everyone else, this is Trip. My most trusted pain in the ass. Trip this is Luffy's crew," Ace introduced. Some people waved, others just stared at the women who honestly couldn't give any less of a damn.

"Hey Shit lords, anyway Ace we gotta go before you lose that lead or whatever. It was nice to meet you I guess," Trip said. "Huh... Where did you get those?" She asked pointing at the bells attached to everyone's wrists or necks. Oh right!

"Me," Tani said waving her hand. Trip looked at her with a blink, like she hadn't noticed the girl at all. "Ace mentioned you being like me," the girl said nervously. Trip looked like she'd struck gold.

"Holy shit there's another one!" she said with the scariest grin Tani had ever witnessed on a human woman. The girl power walked over to Tani and wrapped her arm around her shoulders, Tani was pulled into the most over powered side hug she'd ever been in. Her face smooshed into Trip's exposed chest, the woman proceeded to ruffle Tani's hair.

"I thought I was the only pirate user out there, finally someone who isn't a total marine bitch," she said with relief.

Wait? The only pirate?

"You've met more?" Tani asked, lifting her head to stare at the woman. She chuckled.

"Of course, I've only met one though. He was a total dick weed," she drawled. Ace laughed from behind her.

"What did you nickname him? Vice admiral Tock-Tick Tiny-Dick?" Ace laughed heartily. Trip burst into laughter beside him.

"Yeah! That bastard really thought he could get his hands on this fine ass." Trip said dropping Tani and putting her hands on her hips. "Anyway you should be careful of that creep. He wouldn't shut up about "The power of the bells", like dude shut up," the woman warned in a nonchalant manner.

"Anyway, Trip we gotta go. We can't lose this lead," Ace mentioned. Trip punched him in the shoulder playfully.

"Give me a second, I haven't met anyway not insane that comes from earth," she barked. Turning back to Tani, "These guys don't even know what a movie is," she complained. Tani sighed with a thank you. "Oh, here take this," Trip said while handing the girl a slip of paper with a number on it. This seemed to trigger something in Ace.

"I have something for you Luffy," he pulled a small slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Luffy.

"What is it?" he asked curiously. Ace smiled.

"it'll help us find each other later... Unless you don't want it?" he answered. Luffy pulled the slip of paper closer.

"No I want it," Luffy stated. Ace ruffled his hair sweetly. Tani decided to pull out her camera and snap a shot. Trip gave a snicker.

"You still use that? I left mine on the Moby Dick," she said, pointing at the camera in Tani's hands. Tani had so many questions for this woman. Unfortunately...

"Hey hot stuff, I'm not getting any younger here," Trip groaned. "We have a traitor to catch," Ace flicked his hat one last time before grabbing the waiting girls hand. "Hey Tani,"

"Yes?"

"It was nice to meet someone else from home," she smiled the softest Tani had seen. It was unnerving. She turned back to Ace.

"Ready? Cool," she stood straight, Ace followed in her steps.

"Hop"

"Step"

"Jump!"

And with that the pair disappeared into the air. Leaving Luffy with his small piece of paper. Nami walked to his side and grabbed the paper. Turning to look at his hat and back at him.

"Can I have your hat for a moment?" she asked, fishing out some red string and a sewing needle from the bag on her shoulders. Luffy did as he was told and she sewed the paper into the inside of the ribbon around the treasured straw hat. Luffy plopped the hat back onto his head and gave a big smile.

"What did Trip give you?" Usopp asked, pointing at the slip of paper in Tani's hand. The girl looked at it and saw numbers. Usopp picked it up and examined it. "She left you a den den mushi number," Usopp commented, handing it back to the girl. Sanji got excited at the mention of girl and number. Tani decided to pocket the number so Sanji couldn't abuse the gift she was given. Luffy gave a cheer.

"Let's go," Luffy commanded, and with that the crew was off again. One less member in their little gang of travellers.

...

"I see it!" Vivi called out with cheer, pointing towards the small hit like buildings in the distance. Tani felt her heart explode with joy, finally somewhere that could have a dimension store! Water bottles here she comes!

"Let's go! Hurry up they have to have meat!" Luffy cheered, running as fast as his rubber legs could carry him. Tani and the others jogged behind him with hope glimmering in their eyes. "I see it! I see it!" Luffy said with elation.

That joy that they all felt faded. Luffy stood motionless at the entrance of the town, Vivi standing beside him (having dismounted eyelash). The blue haired princess clenched her fists in horror at the sight.

Abandoned... The whole town was dug out and empty. Massive pits and trenches were dug out all over the streets, the trees nothing but sticks. Tani pulled out her special bell and shook it... Nothing, not a chime could be heard. A grim look adorned the crews faces.

"Hello?" a man called, his head popping up from one of the ditches with a shovel in hand. Sweat from the days laborious digging glistened in the sunsets light. Vivi gasped as she stared at the man, recognition in her eyes.

"Toto?" she said barely above a whisper. The man gave her a tired smile that lit up his whole face.

"I knew you'd return princess Vivi," he said with certainty. Vivi felt her eyes well up with thick hot tears. She ran to Toto and hugged him tightly.

"What happened? Where's Koza? And the rebels?" she hiccuped through tears. Toto pat her back in comfort, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

"That idiot son of mine took everyone to Nanohana, too many sand storms hit... All the water was dried up," Toto explained tiredly.

"... Hold the phone!" Tani called out, her hands up in the air, "Nanohana? The place we started?! You've got to be fu-"

"We made this journey for nothing?" Vivi sounded broken as she said this. All this walking for nothing...

Toto sighed and explained the horrible drought the town had suffered. How he still had hope, and would keep digging no matter how much sand covered his work. It was admirable, determination to fight on against the odds. Tani found herself drifting her eyes towards Luffy... Who was picking his nose again. Clearly bored with this whole shebang.

"You can all stay the night, the inn over there has enough beds for the all of you," he smiled, hands motioning towards the large hit structure that did indeed have beds. It looked like a high school camp cabin, like that bunk bed lined walls vibe. Tani shivered at the not so pleasant memories that surfaced.

"These are so comfy!" Usopp cried with joy, throwing himself into on of the beds. Zoro was already asleep in one of the beds because of course he was. Sanji was trying to share beds with Vivi (there were plenty of beds) and Luffy had vanished. Tani rolled onto a bed and found her hands magnetised towards a pillow. The plump weapon... Weapon!

The girl stood up, hands behind her back with a sickly sweet grin. She skipped towards Usopp, leaning over his laid back form.

"What's u-"

Wham!

The pillow slammed into his face, silencing him, Tani burst into laughter. Grabbing the pillow and running away, hiding behind the bed that Zoro was sleeping in. Usopp recovered, his face burning red. He grabbed his own pillow and took aim, Tani pulled a face, her fingers wiggling next to her ears as she poked out her tongue.

Usopp tossed the pillow, unfortunately for him his arm strength wasn't the best and it ended up whacking into Zoro.

The cabin became a war zone. Zoro had three pillow style, slapping pillows in the face of anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path. Usopp took to the second floor, tossing pillows from up there. Sanji was flip flopping from hitting all the men with pillows and taking all the blows for the women. Vivi was knocked out right away, Nami used Chopper as a shield. The reindeer held a pillow and would swing it wildly as Nami ran around the room hoping to hit someone. It was the most fun Tani had had since she arrived! Hell maybe ever! Though...

Tani found a way to slip out of the chaos, the cheerful laughter and wild cries of complaint faded as she wandered the empty streets of Yuba. Luffy was missing out on all the fun.

The sound of a shovel breaking ground could be heard. Tani wandered towards the sound, finding Toto digging into the sand. Even after digging all day the man was still going. He paused and turned to face the watching girl.

"Evening miss, out for a stroll?" he said kindly. Tani couldn't help but smile at him.

"Just looking for the captain, he wandered off and I'm worried he got lost or something," she waved. Toto gave a hearty laugh.

"The straw hat kid? He should be around here somewhere, digging up a storm that kid," Toto said happily. Tani quirked a brow, typical Luffy. The will power of the man must have inspired him. Tani pulled her bag over her shoulder, grabbing one of her bells. She needed some more now, she only had a couple left. Flipping it to Toto, the man caught it and examined it. Shaking it a couple times, the chime was music to the dark skinned girls ears.

"It's a token of friendship, take care of it," she said, turning away to look for Luffy.

She wandered for a couple minutes, finding Luffy asleep in a ditch outside the cabin. Tani slide down the very very deep hole to collect her awkwardly positioned captain (he looked like a baby). With her "masterful" skills, she positioned him onto her back. Similar to how Ace had the day before, Luffy curled around her tightly. Smothering his face into her back, her breath on instinct hitched. Her face a deep scarlet that was thankfully hidden by the darkness.

"Alright Luffy, time for bed," she whispered to herself. Climbing out of the hole and talking back into the cabin. Finding that the crew had created a pillow fort and was now asleep in it together. She grinned like a child on Christmas and slid into the fort, Luffy still clutching onto her back. Falling asleep soundly with her nakama.


	17. Chapter 17

Morning came and went, the strawhats were once again a tangle of limbs as they slept in their fort from the previous night's shenanigans. Sanji was the first to wake up, his face was dangerously close to Zoro's. Earning the unsuspecting swordsman a swift kick to the noggin.

A chain reaction ensues. Zoro jumped up, but his arm was linked around Chopper and sent the poor little guy flying. Usopp was elbowed in the ribs when Zoro pushed Sanji, Usopp slapped a hand onto Luffy's face. Luffy jerked awake but was still clinging to Tani's back and ended up throwing her into Nami when he jumped up. How? Who the hell knows!

"Sanji! Breakfast!" Luffy demanded. Having Zoro lift the captain off the pile and tossed him into one of the beds on the other side of the room. Nami pushed Tani off her, leaving Tani to topple onto the ground and smack into Chopper. The poor deer was dizzy from all the tossing and squashing.

"Shut up I'll make food in a moment," Sanji snarled at Luffy. Standing up and waltzing towards Nami and Tani with a dumb smile. "Allow me to help you beautiful angels up" he said with his hand held out. Nami took it while Tani hauled herself and Chopper onto their feet.

What a way to wake up in the morning!

Breakfast came and went. Usopp shared his dream about giant man eating plants and masked heroes, prompting the rest of the crew to share their own nightly dreams. Nami was swimming in riches like scrounge Mcduck, Chopper wandered around a candy land, Zoro and Sanji didn't dream and Luffy forgot what his dream was about. Vivi stayed silent through the whole conversation. It was clear that she had something on her mind. She didn't share it though, not even as they made a move to leave the town of Yuba.

"Thank you so much for your help Toto," Vivi thanked with a low bow. Toto smiled like a father to a child at her. He turned to Luffy, a small barrel with a lanyard and straw in his hands.

"Take care of yourselves, and good luck in your travels," Toto wished, handing the barrel to Luffy. The captain threw the lanyard around his neck, the barrel dangling from his neck as he thanked the man with a "shishishi".

The crew all waved goodbye, turning from whence they came... That journey being all for nothing. The town vanished as they walked in the swelting heat, expressions were turned down as they walked through the endless yellows of the desert.

"Come on guys its not that bad," Vivi said with a strained smile. "We just need to go back and stop them before they make it to-"

Luffy dropped to the ground in a cross-legged position and leaned against a dried up tree that poked out of the ground. Arms resting behind his head, pushing his treasured hat forward to cover his eyes. The crew halted their steps, staring at Luffy in confusion and disbelief.

"Oi Luffy," Nami narrowed her brows, "nows not the time to be resting, we've need to make it back to-"

"I don't feel like it," Luffy said stubbornly. "I want to have an adventure, and this is super boring so I don't wanna do it," he declared. Tani exchanged looks with Sanji and Usopp. Nobody knew what to do.

Vivi looked visibly distressed. Her mind running a million miles a second as she tried to comprehend what Luffy meant. Her face fell, dismounting eyelashes to stand in front of the now unmotivated captain.

"But... But I need your help to stop the rebels," she pleaded, water prickled at the corners of her eyes. Tani wanted to comfort her, but something in the air seemed to hold her back. Luffy lifted his head lazily.

"Well I don't wanna do that. We're pirates, not marines so why should we help if it's boring," Luffy retorted. Vivi took deep breaths to calm herself, her fists clenching in bubbling rage.

"Because thousands of innocent lives will be lost if we don't stop them!" she yelled, "I need your help to stop the rebels from attacking, we can't afford to lose any lives!" her cool was totally lost. Luffy didn't even flinch.

"That's just stupid, you can't save everyone," he waved off. That was the final straw. "This is war, people die." he concluded with no emotion. This set Vivi off, she let out a pain battle cry and threw her fist into Luffy's face, the captain bounced a couple feet away.

Vivi was panting as she watched Luffy lift himself back to his feet. He balled a fist and slammed it right into her face, tossing her to the ground. Nami went to help her, but surprisingly it was Sanji that stopped her. Whispering to her something that Tani didn't quite hear.

Vivi pounced onto Luffy, slapping and punching him in the face with pent up anger.

"Why should we go back? Don't you want this all to end? Taking out the main problem is the only way to fix this!" Luffy shouted at her as she assaulted his face. Hot tears dribbled from her eyes. "We're your nakama! Let us help! We can take down Crocodile!" Luffy roared. Vivi halted in her movements, now a sputtering mess of tears.

"He's right you know," Tani smiled softly, Vivi turned to look at her through watery eyes. "We always manage to pull through. Out the main source of the problem is rule number one of problem solving," she finished. Vivi pulled herself off of Luffy and stared at the ground with clenched fists. A new fire lit in her eyes.

"Change of plans," she said with anger laced words, "We're headed to Rainbase. We need to kick Crocodiles ass!" she declared with her fist punching up in the air. Everyone followed in suit. The crew now had a new objective.

Kick Crocodile's ass!

...

It didn't take long at all to make it to Rainbase. It was a short distance from Yuba, so the crew was already standing before the massive crocodile themed town that looked prosperous in these trying times.

"Before we do anything, it would be wise to fully stock up on supplies and the such. Since we'll need to make a quick escape after taking Crocodile out," Nami informed. The crew nodded in unison, so Nami continued. "We'll split into groups, one to get water, one for food and another for essentials,"

Team one was Luffy, Tani and Usopp. Who were tasked with water duty. Luffy looped his arms through both of his team mates and ran towards the first pub he could find. Zipping over to the front bar and demanding three barrels of water.

"Luffy you know I could just find a dimension store and get water bottles right?" Tani commented off-handedly to the captain. He tilted his head with a blank look. "You know? The place I get all the snacks I bring? Have I never mentioned it once?" Tani held her chin in thought.

"Now that you mention it," Usopp chimed in. "You do bring a lot of things back to the Merry that I've never seen before," he held his chin in thought too. Now Luffy needed to do it and they would all be in sync.

"Ohhhh," Luffy clicked his fingers. "That's where you got that bubbly looking alcohol and the meat sticks from isn't it?" he said. Tani spat, half expecting some magical water to be sprayed across her companions.

"Alcohol? You thought that was alcohol?" Tani said with shock. Luffy nodded his head with confusion. "No that was fanta, it's a fizzy drink. Think fruit juice but with lots of little bubbles," she explained. Shaking her head with a gentle smile, "I'm still too young to be drinking alcohol anyways," Tani stated.

The bartender dropped down three massive barrels for them to take. Luffy and Usopp immediately took to gulping down massive amounts of the stuff, clearly too thirsty at the moment. Tani shook her head with a small chuckle stuck in her throat. It was relaxing to not be pursued, so she took a long inhale and that's when her nose caught it.

The familiar smell of smoke.

Now her relaxed demeanor had shifted to that of alertness. Her eyes scanning the surrounding area for the familiar greyish white of the marines hair. Smoker was a big guy, and the trail of smoke that whisped from his two cigars were always easy to find... So how she'd somehow missed that he was sitting right beside her! She wouldn't know. Though he didn't seem to realize they were here either.

"Wait so you're telling me that you could have gotten us supplies from this dimension store place, since Lougetown?" Usopp spoke a little too loudly. Smokers shoulders tensed, his

Hardened gaze turned to stare at the young pirates... Oh shit here we go again.

"Captain Smoker?" a young looking women with big black framed glasses and a navy blue Bob cut poked her head from behind the man's massive shoulders. Her eyes widened like saucers at the sight of us. "It's straw hat and that girl with the cap!" she declared. Pointing a finger at the trio before throwing her hands over to the sword attached to her hip.

Luffy and Usopp in unison spat out water into the marine pairs faces. Giving them the opportunity to book it. Tani already had her skates on, but she was not! Repeat NOT! Going through what she did the last time Smoker was hot on their trail. Plus this time Usopp was around so she couldn't carry them both, Luffy would just jump her and do his Luffy thing.

That is why it was such a surprise that Usopp was the one that was jumping onto her back as she skated. His legs landing on her shoulders, her hands locked around his ankles to hold him steady.

"Luffy has the water, we need to keep them off his back," Usopp said with confidence. Pride bubbled in Tani's stomach at the bravery he was showing. God she felt like her mum right now. She nodded at him and glided across the sand covered paths of Rainbase.

The blue haired women was on their heels, Usopp fired shot after shot at her as she chased them. Her sword sliced through many of the shots... Most of them.

"Tabasco star!" he cried, taking the shot and smacking her right in the glasses. The small capsule burst and red hot sauce splattered all over the women's face. She shrieked in pain as the sauce irritated her skin. Her hands flying up to rub it away. Tani wasted no time in making an break for the rendezvous point.

"You think Luffy's alright?" Tani asked breathlessly. Maybe she needed to do some weight training with Zoro, or whatever kinda training you do to get stronger with your back. "Smoker is no push over I'll tell you that," oh who was she kidding, Luffy was like a cockroach. You can't kill him! And he always manages to pull through.

"I see them!" Usopp called out. The rest of the crew was fighting off a marine squad. Luffy came flying from the roof tops with the water barrels in hand.

"Split up!" he shouted. Dropping the water barrels on the ground and ran away with Smoker right behind him. Everyone did just that. Usopp jumped off Tani's back and ran with Nami, Tani felt her strength leave her. Stumbling over and finding herself being hoisted over someone's shoulders. Sanji and Vivi ran off together and Tani couldn't see Chopper anywhere. Which left-

"Watch my back," Zoro's gruff voice commanded. Tani nodded her head as the bulky swordsman made a run for it. Many of the marines, as well as some shifty looking buggers that probably worked for big bad Crocodile were pursuing them. Zoro held them off without breaking a sweat, Tani would know since she's literally on him as he fights. She'd gotten a few hits of her own too, her yo-yo's danced through the air as she whipped them back and forth between the marines and Crocodile underlings.

"Zoro I think we've walked past this building like twice now," Tani pointed out. The green haired man groaned. "Just walk towards the big ass golden temple over there," Tani pointed. Zoro just grunted in annoyance but did as she asked. A wrong turn here, a left when they were meant to go right. Honestly Tani couldn't comprehend how Zoro could be so directionally challenged! So the moment her strength returned she jumped off his shoulders, grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the temple looking place. Zoro grumbled and complained the whole time but Tani ignored him. Her ears peeled for the sound of bells.

"Zoro! Tani!" Nami called out with a wave. The pair ran towards them with a hoard of marines and Baroque works goons chasing behind with weapons in hand. "Help!" the pair wailed, running past them.

"Watch my back and I'll watch yours?" Tani smirked, a small boost of confidence bloomed on her face as she turned to the much more talented fighter by her side. Zoro gave the tiniest of tiny smiles, literally the corner of his lips tilted up slightly. His eyes however showed just how excited he was at the prospect of kicking ass.

Tani rushed forward, Zoro hot on her trail. She jumped forward, her bladed wheels still spinning rapidly as they slammed into the unfortunate marine that happened to be within range. The man's body fell backwards, knocking over a couple of his comrades in the process. The bodies of their enemies falling was still chilling for the inexperienced girl, the look of blood lust in Zoro's eyes was just as frightening if not more so. Tani was honestly lucky he was her ally.

"Everyone!" Luffy's jovial voice rang from above. Tani turned to look up at him, distracted and unsuspecting of the man who was about to introduce her to his pal, sword.

*Slam*

A body dropped, but it wasn't Tani's. The girl turned around with great alarm, her eyes finding Zoro was a serious look in his eyes. Relief and annoyance swimming in his golden gaze.

"Pay attention when in battle you moron," he scolded with a swat to the head. Tani glared at him with a pout. "I'm not always gonna be around to save your ass," he stated, sheathing his single blade. Tani kicked the unconscious man that almost cut her in half.

Luffy had his arms hooked around Tani and Zoro's shoulders as he landed on the ground. His momentum and speed pulled the pair along with him as he ran over the bridge connecting the town to the temple. Nami and Usopp followed behind. The enraged calls of Smoker rang through out the town.

The crew (excluding Sanji, Chopper and Vivi because they seemed to be MIA) burst through the massive golden doors of the temple. The interior looked more like a casino than any sacred location Tani had ever been to. The masses of people seemed to look over at the small panting group, Luffy's chest rose as his mouth widened to shout.

"Crocodile! Show yourself so I can kick your ass!"

The crowds went silent. Only to ignore him and go back to their slots or Black Jack games. Luffy glared at the room, looking around for any sign of the man they seeked. Wafts of smoke hit Tani's nose.

"Smoker's here," she whisper shouted. Nami tapped her shoulder and pointed towards the stairway that had the words VIP plastered above the door said stairs lead to. Everyone silently made their way towards the VIP room.

"Sorry sir but I'm afraid marines aren't permitted in this area. Please leave," a women's voice. Tani turned her head to find a lady telling Smoker to leave the casino. His eyes landed on Tani's own, breaking away as his body morphed into a cloud of smoke and sped towards them.

"Run!" Tani cried. Taking the lead and bolting forward. The door was within her grasp.

"Stop!" Smoker yelled angrily. His top half reforming atop the smokey cloud, his hands grabbing towards the head cover on Tani's head. Her hands slipped the head gear off and tossed it at Smokers face. Her wild mess of brown hair bobbed behind her.

Stone floors changed to velvet carpets. A long narrow hallway lead to a small fork in the road. Tani had no time to read said sign before Luffy made a hard right, saying something about it being "for pirates" which just screamed trap.

The ground underneath them split open, revealing a trapdoor.

Great! How predictable.

Tani shrieked as her body descended into the inky black darkness that encompassed the trapdoor.

...

"Shishi, look Usopp! It's my Sanji impression," Luffy's loud voice cut through Tani's unconsciousness. Usopp laughed loudly. "Oh yeah well check out my-"

"Quit it!"

*Bonk*

*Smack*

Two bodies hit the floor. Rustling Tani from her sleep completely.

"Ugh... Remind me never to follow Luffy ever..." Tani groaned, rubbing her sore back. The way that Luffy decided to take them, lead to a trap! Who would have guessed that a sign saying "pirates go this way" would be a trap? Is Luffy just stupid... Yes, yes he is.

Anyway they now sat in a cramped cage with a lovely view of the bottom of the ocean, well an aquarium if this world even had one of those. Tani let out a sigh and leaned her head back, her eyes closed as she rested her head on what she assumed to be one of her friends laps.

"Get off me kid," the familiar gruff voice of Smoker grumbled. Tani's eyes shot open in an instant, the girl scrambled to her feet and pounced behind Zoro who was taking a nap.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Tani panicked. Her eyes locked onto the resting form of Smoker. He rolled his eyes at her and puffed out smoke.

"Got caught too," he shrugged. Another puff of smoke left his mouth.

"Then just smoke your way out, you can do that can't you?" she narrowed an eye in confusion. Why would he be sitting here? Jail bars don't mean squat if you can wisp your way through them.

"Are you dumb or something kid? The bar's made of sea stone," he said with irritation. Tani rolled her eyes, well sorry for not knowing the ins and outs of a world that isn't her own.

"Sea stone nulls devil fruits," Nami said informatively. Tani poked her tongue out at Smoker like a child. The man couldn't have rolled his eyes any harder. "Luffy stop touching the bars!" Nami scolded. Tani turned to find Luffy was leaning on the bars looking completely drained of energy.

Smoker groaned in annoyance. Muttering under his breath about "Troublesome brats" which Tani rolled her eyes at. The guy was just like one of her old teachers, if you don't like kids, don't take the job... Wait he's a cop so he deals with adults too... Never mind he's allowed to complain.

"Ahahahah," came a laugh that Tani instantly thought of as The Count from Sesame Street. She looked at the moving shadowy figure. When light hit his figure he looked like a pimped out mob boss, very fitting for him since is technically is one.

"You have a hook hand! Yes! Another classic pirate trope I can cross off the list," Tani said aloud. Not that she wanted to, it just sorta slipped out. She covered her mouth was a slap and her cheeks reddened considerably. All eyes turned to her, until the pimp man cleared his throat and continued.

"So this is the little pirate crew that's helping Miss Wednesday with her plans," he monologued. A classic villain! Tani could feel the excitement of a movie adventure bubbling in her core. "I'm Mr Zero of baroque works, and you lot are-"

"FIGHT ME CROCODILE! IM GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!" Luffy boomed, his hands grabbing the bars again. His body flopped to the ground like a heap of jelly. Crocodile just laughed at him and continued monologuing. Tani got bored because it was all "Take over the country!" and "Ruin the kings reputation!" classic Bond villain stuff.

"CROCODILE!"

"Ah Miss Wednesday. What a pleasant surprise, come sit down," Croc welcomed. Vivi looked royally pissed off. She was ready to knock some heads... No literally she ran over to Crocodile and sliced the bastards head clean off his shoulders. I stared in awe and horror at the clean stump of the man's neck. No blood spouted out the stump, no flopping of the headless body. This was starting to look the headless horseman! It was freaky.

"That's no way to greet your boss Miss Wednesday," Crocodile's voice bellowed. Golden sandy trailed up his body, reforming his head on the stump. His smug grin on display when completely reformed.

"Smoker can you do that?" Tani asked the grumpy marine. Her brain just wouldn't filter her words. Maybe she hit her head harder than she expected. Smoker huffed at her, not answering her question.

"Ah, captain Smoker. How unfortunate to have captured you. Now that you know of my plans I'm afraid you'll need to die too," Croc laughed, obviously not at all bothered by the act. "And you straw hat, you sure have caused a lot of trouble for my workers. Now you'll just have to die here too," he laughed again. God it was such a dumb laugh.

Puru puru puru

The den den mushi on the table went off. Crocodile side eyed it, obviously not expecting any callers at this time. He picked it up.

Kacha

"Who is it?" Crocodile asked with irritation. The snails face seemed to droop. Like the person on the other end was bored or tired.

"Hi, yeah your reservation for the shitty restaurant got cancelled?" the voice was familiar. Laid back and a little bit smug... Sanji?! He wasn't here after all. It could be him! Thankfully Tani's brain had stopped her from spouting that give away.

"You again? Who are you?" Crocodile yelled into the mic. A small chuckle was heard from the other end.

"Well someone's feeling shitty today. Anyway, I'm not stupid enough to give you my real name. So call me Mr Prince," Sanji's suave voice stated. Zoro let out a snort of humour.

"Course he picked a name like that," Zoro mocked. Nami smacked him upside the head, telling him to "Shut it".

"Oh so you do have my nakama with you, well at least the Marimo bastard," the snail smiled sweetly. Zoro clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"How about you join them. Mr Prince," Crocodile suggested. It was obvious be thought he had the upper hand. Sanji chuckled.

"As much as I'd love to do that, I have some things I gotta do before making my grand entrance," he stated. Croc grinder his teeth in an attempt to remain calm.

"Mr Prince!" Tani called out. The snail phones eyes shifted into little hearts.

"Tani dearest! You're there too?" Sanji cried. Tani hummed in affirmation.

"We're surrounded by water, it's an underground secret base! Everyone's here except Mr Reindeer!" Tani informed. The heart eyes were replaced with a serious look.

"Roger that my darling Tani, I'm on my way now. Don't miss me too much~" he cooed before hanging up. Crocodile slammed the mic (poor snail phone) but returned his composure and looked at the captured straw hats plus Smoker. He let out a laugh and held up a key.

"You know what this is? It's the only key that can unlock your cage," oh boy here we go. Bond villain time! "And you know what I'm going to do with this key?" he pushed a button on the desk where the den den mushi sat. The floor opened up and a huge pit opened in the centre of the room.

He walked over to the pit and gave them all a huge shit eating grin. He dangled the key over the hole, his fingers slowly released. The little golden key plummeted down, hitting the ground with a little clink.

Tani's body moved on its own, reaching into her pocket and pulled out a single bell. She tossed it without her mind registering her actions. The little bell clinked, landing beside the key. A snarl echoed off the walls of the deep pit. A massive yellow beast entered the pit, it was a crocodile with a banana shaped growth on its head. It licked the key and bell into its mouth and swallowed. Tani could still hear the bell ringing in its stomach.

Then more bananadiles entered the pit, each of them climbing over each other and snapping their hungry maws at the crew. Crocodile laughed that stupid laugh.

"Mr Zero," a women's voice called to the mob boss. All eyes turned to the all too familiar cowboy hat lady from Whiskey Peaks. This time she was wearing a thick white coat. "It's almost time, we must get going," she said with little to no emotions in her voice. Crocodile nodded in her direction.

"It was a pleasure to meet you all, but I must take my leave," Croc said with a smug grin. Turning away to walk through a tunnel opposite the stairs that Vivi had taken to enter the room. Wait where was Vivi? Tani looked to find that the blue haired women was just sitting there, staring in a frozen state of mind.

"Vivi! Snap out of it!" Nami cried to the girl. The walls surrounding them seemed to shake. The sound of water flow caused great panic to arise. "He's flooding the room!" Nami realised. Grabbing the sea stone bars and shaking on them as hard as she could.

The blue haired women snapped out of her daze and made a last ditch effort to get Crocodile, but he was already out of reach before she had the chance to do anything.

"Vivi run! The rooms gonna flood. Those bananadiles will tear you to shreds!" Usopp informed with fear in his voice. The room rumbled and chunks of the roof and glass walls fell to the wet ground. Vivi stumbled as she ran to avoid the falling debris, the bellowing of the bananadiles calls and the snapping of jaws mixed with the crashing of the surrounding area. The pressure was on for the princess. her determined face and stride carried her to the partially destroyed stairs. The first of the bananadiles had climbed out of the pit and was now pursuing Vivi.

"Oi! You with the ugly banana face!" Tani called out to the bananadile. It slowly turned it's whole body around to face her and the cage of trapped people. Tani should have thought that through better...

"Leave Vivi alone!" Nami joined in, nodding at Tani. Usopp stood beside Tani, legs shaking but he too called for the bananadiles attention. The three of them successfully pulled the dumb yellow beast focus to them.

"Now that it's after us, the croc will try to break the cage. If it's anything like a crocodile from back home, it can't chew so it'll need to tear the cage open," Tani reasoned aloud. Smoker hummed in thought.

"Tani, you threw a bell at one of them. Does this one have the bell?" Zoro asked, standing up from his seated position and standing beside the small trio. Tani shook her head. Luffy stood up beside Zoro, cracking his knuckles with a grin.

"Ack!"

Vivi was suspended over the broken stairs, her legs dangled as she held on for dear life. The sound of her distress caused the bananadile to change its focus onto her. Shit! Everyone's attempts to draw the beast back to them was in vain, it snapped its jaws underneath her flailing body. The fear in her eyes screamed for salvation.

*THWACK*

The beast was sent hurtling into the air, a figure stood beneath it with one leg sticking up in the air. Smoke and slick blonde hair danced with the momentum of the swift kick.

"Sanji!" Tani cried with excitement. More bananadiles entered the room, all of them aiming for the newest arrival.

"Tani dearest! Nami my love! The rest of you shitty bastards," Sanji greeted, taking out his snuffed cigarette and dropping it on the ground. "I'll get you lovely ladies out of here in a jiffy," he cooed. Running and slamming his leg into one of the approaching bananadiles.

"Tani, which one is it with the key?" Zoro asked. Tani fell silent, closing her eyes and cupping her ears towards the many beasts roaming the floor. A faint chime could be heard, but she couldn't quite pin point the spot.

"It's one of the crocs to the left side of the room! Sanji aim for the group of them too the left!" Tani instructed. Sanji did as he was told and cartwheeled his way over, kicking ever dile in the stomach. Luffy mimicked Tani with his ears, a light bulb went off in his head.

"It's the one closest to the door," Luffy informed, so Sanji took aim and did just that. Hitting the creature in the gut. It hacked and coughed, throwing up not only the key and bell but a large whiteish grey ball. The key landed in the water, which at this point was above the shins in depth.

"Break the ball!" Luffy instructed. Sanji complied with one swift smack of the leg, the ball split in two and out popped-

"ITS THE STUPID WAX GUY!" Nami shouted, gripping the bars with flaming eyes. Usopp clicked his fingers. The crew looked his way (except Sanji who was beating up the bananadiles).

"Could we get him to make a replica key?" Usopp questioned. Luffy looked at the stunned wax guy.

"Oi wax guy, get us out of this cage or I'll kick your ass," Luffy said nonchalantly. Well he got straight to the point now didn't he? The guy snorted.

"Straw hat?! As if I'd help you and your little group of morons out," wax man replied with a smug grin. Sanji turned to look at him, he jumped into the air and slammed both of his feet into the mans back. Wax man fell into the water, he sputtered and panicked as he was lifted out of the salty water by the scruff of his neck. Sanji glared at him and the rest was history! The guy made a fake key and opened the cage door.

"We gotta get out of here!" Usopp whined, stating the obvious. The stairs were completely destroyed so the crew couldn't escape through there. The water was filling the room faster and faster. Luffy found himself inching closer and closer to Tani as the water raised. Tani grabbed his hand and gave him a comforting smile. Smoker seemed to be nervously glancing at the water.

"We've gotta swim our way out," Zoro declared. Luffy nodded in agreement, instructing everyone to make their way up. Nami, Usopp, Sanji and Vivi all dived. Luffy piggy backed onto Tani's back. Before the pair made the dive, Luffy gave Zoro a look. The silent conversation ended with Zoro groaning and grabbing a drowsy Smoker (who was being heavily affected by the salty water).

"Hold your breath Luffy," Tani instructed. The both of them took a huge gulp of air and dived, blue filled their vision. Luffy's strong grip slackened, but he held on as hard as he could.

Just a few more seconds, the sun was coming into view.

3

Almost there...

2

A little longer...

1

The pair gasped and sputtered for air to fill their deprived lungs. Tani gave a nervous laugh as the adrenaline faded from her system. She free-styled towards the bank, helping Luffy up first before dragging herself out of the liquid. More coughing could be heard as Zoro and Smoker surfaced. Zoro tossed Smoker onto the bank with the elegance of a brick. Hoisting himself up and standing behind Luffy and Tani. Smoker looked up at the trio, conflict and confusion in his eyes.

"Why did you save me?" came Smoker's voice, full of confusion. Luffy and Tani looked at one another. Luffy let out his iconic laugh, his whole body shook with the laughter. "What's so funny? Why would you save me? I'm a marine," Smoker shouted.

"Because you're a good guy," Luffy stated simply, giving Smoker his biggest grin. The man just looked more confused. "You're my friend, of course I'd save you," Luffy added. Smokers cheeks tinted pink, his eyes shifted to a glare.

"Get the hell outta here, before I capture you," he threatened. Was he letting them go? After trying so hard to catch them. Luffy laughed.

"I told you so!" Luffy said before taking off with a sprint. Zoro followed behind him, but Tani lingered for a moment longer. Pulling a bell out of her pocket and tossing it at the marine. He lifted it up and looked back at the girl with more confusion.

"It's a symbol of our friendship, we may be on opposing sides... But that doesn't mean we can't be friends," she smiled softly. Smoker pocketed the bell, and snarled a "Get the hell out of here," earning him a cheeky giggle from Tani, who ran off after Luffy and the others.

...

"Chopper! Where did you find this huge crab!?" Tani shouted in awe. Chopper giggled, explaining Eyelash had many friends around that were willing to help out the crew. The crab was gonna help them get to the castle to warn Vivi's father of the rebel army, and to stand down when the oncoming attack commences.

"Let's go!" Vivi cheered with hope in her eyes. Everyone boarded the crab, and to say that it was a fast runner would be an understatement! Tani felt whiplash as the crab started running, she would have fallen off if Zoro hadn't snatched her up. Vivi cleared her throat, "Thank you everyone, we can end thi-"

She was cut off when a hook looped around her waist and pulled her backwards with a shriek. Luffy moved before anyone had the chance to process what had happened. His rubber arm yanked the girl out of the hook, but in return he flipped himself off the crab and into the hook.

"LUFFY!" Tani cried as he gave everyone a grin, being pulled towards the big boss of this island with no fear in his eyes. The sound of his bell faded as he moved away.

"I'll kick his ass!" Luffy declared. Only his shadow could be seen in the sunset as the crab sped into the darkness of the oncoming night. Tani stared at Luffy's fading form with hope in her heart.

He's Luffy... He can't be defeated... Can he?


	18. Chapter 18

"I'll kick his ass!"

The phrase echoed through the crews mind as they sat atop the racing crab. To say the straw hats were worried about their captain would be an understatement. Everyone did their best to hide it but if one got to know them, they would notice the little quirks that each of them had when under pressure or highly concerned.

Zoro was using Usopp and Tani as weights for training, with one of them in each hand. Usopp was fidgeting with a pen as he drew little sketches in a notepad he had, while Tani was blasting music on her Walkman because nothing says calm like 90s rock music. Nami was twirling her hair and messing with her robe. Sanji was flicking his lighter on and off again, one of his legs did that little bounce thing that happened when you sit on a chair for too long. Chopper was walking in circles with his hooves clasped around the rim of his top hat. Vivi was by far the worst of the bunch though, she looked like she was going to cry, her hands clawing through her smooth blue hair as she sat with her legs pulled to her chest, eyes wide with worry as every limb of hers shook.

"He'll be ok... Right?" Vivi said just above a whisper. Zoro scoffed at the thought of his captain failing, yet a trace of doubt lingered in his mind.

"You dare scoff at our beloved Vivi? While she's sharing her concern for our captain?" Sanji snarled. The tension in his tone making it clear he wanted to fight. The bounce of his leg getting more erratic. Zoro glared.

"You wanna start something prince of the swirly brows?" Zoro snarked. Sanji stood up with a growl, Zoro jumped to his feet. Tossing Usopp and Tani aside as he readied his swords.

Tani rolled on the crabs smooth shell, her hands getting tangled in the cord of her headphones. Usopp was sliding beside her, his notebook laid open for the world to see. On the exposed page was a messy sketch of what looked like plans for a round weapon, with small notes and a list in the corner for materials.

They looked like-

Usopp slapped the book closed and dragged it towards his chest to hide the contents. A nervous sweat on his forehead as he felt himself ramble aloud about the sketches being incomplete and yadda yadda. Tani couldn't focus, her nerves were too high.

She didn't want to admit that she was doubtful of Luffy's chances at victory.

He's strong in both a physical and battle-minded way, but Crocodile being like Smoker or Ace proved a concern for her. Tani turned the sound up on her Walkman.

Nami shut the Sanji/Zoro fight down fast, her own anxieties of the conflict to come was all that fueled her.

"We need to save our strengths if we want any chance of surviving this!" Nami scolded, her voice shivered with her fear laced words. Sanji obediently did as he was told, sitting on the other end of the crab while Zoro picked Tani and Usopp up again and continued training.

"Uh guys... Hey guys," Chopper said with panic, he was dancing around on his hooves and pointing at the large river up ahead.

"What's the problem Chops?" Tani questioned, removing one of the ears of her headphones to listen. It was hard to keep her eyes on the little reindeer when she kept being bobbed up and down.

"The crab can't swim! He doesn't like water," Chopper squeaked. Everyone tensed up and jumped to their feet. Vivi gasped dramatically.

"But the Sandora river is too wide for us to swim it!" Vivi squirmed on the spot teary eyed. "And it's invested with massive Seakings," she added for good measure.

"What if we just make him run faster? Like what mudskippers do?" Tani thought aloud, honestly she was just thinking about all those movies that had people run so fast that they just zoomed across the water. Since this world seemed to run on that logic. "Chopper, ask the crab what he needs us to do to motivate him to run faster," Tani commanded. Chopper nodded and asked right away, his fur stood up and his body language was shy.

"He... He uh said that uh... Pretty women in dancer clothes will make him run faster," Chopper pulled his hat over his eyes shyly. Tani all of a sudden felt like she needed to take a dip in the river to wash off the sudden body shyness she had. Nami being the absolute unit she is though, dropped the robe without a moment's hesitation and put her hands on her hips.

"Like this?" she said with a sweet smile that made the crab run a mile. Like the crab just bolted! Vivi stood up next, her robe dropping too, she linked arms with Nami and gave a smile that was pure sunshine despite her internal fears. Tani let out a sigh and dropped her robe too, the trio of women stood with arms linked. The crab ran and ran so fast that it skipped like a stone across the river. Sanji was red in the face as he looked at the girls with admiration, Zoro was covering Choppers eyes and Usopp pulled out Tani's camera and took a photo because this was priceless in his eyes.

"Usopp I'm going to kill you after this!" Tani shrieked with red cheeks. The sniper held his gut and laughed.

"It's working!" Vivi cheered.

Shit!

Tani let go of Nami's arm and almost yelled at Vivi. She just broke on of the biggest movie rules of all!

"Vivi! You can't celebrate something like this until we've made it over! Otherwise we-" Tani didn't get the chance to finish before the entire crab with crew attached sank into the water. The darkening blue submerged the group in its cold embrace. Tani swam up and resurfaced, spitting out water and grumbling "Other wise we fail..."

Everyone resurfaced one by one, Chopper plastered himself onto Zoro's head since the water was not only super deep, but he couldn't swim. Man devil fruits must suck sometimes. Tani looked towards the other side of the river and sighed.

They'd barely made it half way.

"Well... Guess we're swimming," Sanji said, his powerful legs pushing him forward with everyone following in suit.

Everyone swam as fast as they could, but the deep water and distance from the shore made it really difficult to stay afloat. Luckily Luffy wasn't there, Tani was almost certain he would latch onto her for the journey. It was an odd thing now that the girl thought about it. Zoro and Sanji were much stronger than she was, so Luffy should naturally wanna use them to swim him around. Yet he picked her when they escaped Crocodile last time. In fact he always found an opportunity to spring himself onto her back. Why? The thought made the girls cheeks heat up.

"Look out!" Usopp called bravely as he tugged Tani out of the way. A giant fish skimmed past her. She really needed to stop her brain from spacing out! Stupid Luffy being all cute and making her fluster... Hold the phone!

"Tani pay attention!" Zoro scolded. He grabbed Tani by the arm and swam as fast as he could, Sanji grabbed the other arm and pulled her along too. She was stuck in day dream mode, probably a mix of stressed and tired.

"It's coming back!" Usopp cried, pointing up at the large yellow fish with its maws wide open, ready to swallow the crew whole. What a way to go, eaten by a fish.

The fish never got to eat the crew however, since a whole army of blobby looking creatures rose from the depths and beat the ever loving daylights out of the fish! A swarm of them all punched, slapped and body slammed that fish into oblivion.

Tani finally snapped out of her daze, looking up with focused eyes she discovered that the crew had been saved by the kung-fu dugongs they met at the beginning of their journey in Alabasta. Even without Luffy there, his influence continues.

"They asked if we need a lift," Chopper translated.

"Yes please!" Nami shouted back thankfully. So here the crew was, sitting atop the very beat up fish that was now cautiously swimming them to the other side of the river. The ride was quiet, everyone doing their nervous ticks once again.

"Hey?" Vivi said with surprise, pointing towards the shore line that fast approached. There was a trail of dust clouds being kicked up by blurs of sunshine yellow. Vivi felt her heart swell with joy. "It's Carue! And the super spot-billed duck troops," she cheered.

"Super who now what?" Usopp blinked. Vivi smiled brightly.

"The super spot-billed duck troops. They're a trained group of ducks that carry out deliveries and other important tasks. Carue is the leader," the princess said with pride.

The fish docked on the shore and swam away as fast as it could, the turtle dugongs waved and returned to the depths from which they came.

"Carue!" the blue haired woman of the group cheered at seeing the bird and its paddling of ducks, she ran up and hugged Carue with her whole body. A wholesome reunion.

"Alright alright," Zoro interrupted the reunion with a wave of his hand. Attention was diverted to him. He crossed his arms and let out a serious sigh. "What's the plan? Without Luffy around things could get messier," he admitted. Nami nodded in agreement.

"The main objective is to get Vivi to the rebel army before they enter the city boarders, but we can be almost certain that baroque works will be ready to strike." Nami layed out the information they already had. "So all we need to do is figure out what to do from here," she said with her knuckle resting under her chin in thought. Usopp was tapping his foot in thought, the cogs spinning in his mind.

Click! With the snap of his fingers he presents his brilliant plan. Grabbing a stick to draw it out.

...

"We ready Usopp?" Tani asked as she mounted her duck. Heavy brown cloak dropped around her form, Usopp gave her a thumbs up while doing the same.

The group had decided to draw straws to decide who would pair with who. The plan was to divert attention from Vivi, so they all wore heavy cloaks to remove any identity from themselves to allow Vivi the opportunity to stop the rebel forces, without all the baroque workers raining on her parade.

"Team A, you're to take the front entrance," Vivi instructed, pointing at the small model map she'd drawn in the sand. "Team B is taking the south west entrance, and team C will be taking the west entrance," she finalised. The crew nodded in agreement and set up their ducks for take off.

"So we're team C, right?" Tani confirmed with the long nosed sniper. He gave a gulp and nodded. Tani could already feel the pit in her stomach.

"On my mark!" Nami shouted, her hand held in the air. Everyone faced forward, hands gripping down right in the reins of their ducks. Determination and nervousness present on their faces.

"GO!"

With the command came a cloud of kicked up sand, leaving Vivi with Carue behind as the rest of the crew made a run for their designated locations. They ran together in a row of six, heading right for the massive battle ground that was Alubarna. Once the big city was in sight, teams B and C diverted from team A.

Tani and Usopp ran side by side with Sanji and Chopper. Sanji turned to face the very nervous duo that made up team C. He gave them a bright smile full of reassurance.

"If you need help, don't be afraid to find me alright!" he shouted over the loud sounds of conflict and duck feet padding across the sandy ground. Usopp and Tani gave nervous nods before Sanji and Chopper split from them to enter the south west entrance. The west entrance came into view, with a crack to the reins the ducks ran faster to arrive at their destination.

...

"Well that went well!" Tani groaned as she laid atop a downed Usopp. The two of them having just been ambushed by Mr 2 of all people! The flamboyant swam ballerina came in like a flash and with swift kick from his slipper clad feet, managed to kick team C's ass before the duo had the chance to blink.

"Ugh, I feel like I just got kicked so hard that my 'I can't stay in this city anymore' illness just started showing symptoms," Usopp muttered breathlessly. Tani stood up with a wobble, holding out her hand for Usopp to take. The snipers knees shook but he managed to stay up straight, the pair using each other as support.

"We need to warn the others that Mr 2 is running around right now," Tani commented with a wince as she put too much pressure on her ankle. She better not have sprained that or else she'll be out of the fight and she can't have that right now. Usopp gave a frown.

"Hey, put on your skates real quick," he requested randomly. Tani blinked at him curiously but moved to do as she was told. Lowering down, pulling on her skates and tying them up securely around her feet. What was Usopp planning? She really hoped it didn't involve using her as a horse...

Tani stood up and turned to look at the sniper with questioning eyes. The man gave her a smile and put his hands on her shoulders and started pushing her forward like a trolley. Tani had to hold her arms out awkwardly, like a scarecrow.

"Can't having you injuring your foot now can we?" Usopp said cheekily. Tani rolled her eyes but was happy with the thoughtfulness of Usopp. Of course he noticed her small wince of pain.

Tani's ears perked up as she heard the rapid jingling of a bell. Which meant someone was missing from the team up ahead. Tani tilted her head back to look at Usopp. The man had nervous sweat dripping down his forehead.

"What's wrong? You have that look on your face," he asked nervously. His arms shaking on her shoulders.

"Someone's up ahead, but only one," Tani whispered. Usopp's eyes widened, Tani had to shush him with a finger to the lips before he made an outcry. "I can go ahead, my ankles not feeling that bad right now," she suggested. Usopp gave her a look of disapproval. Keeping his hands firmly in her shoulders as he pushed forward with her, at a much much slower pace.

A blur of bright blonde and blue rounded the corner quickly, skidding across the unstable ground and almost knocking over Tani and Usopp like the bowling pins they are. Sanji stared at them with his one visible blue eye. Relief breathed out of his lungs at the sight of them.

"Sanji!" Tani and Usopp cried happily together, the both of them holding onto the man's blue cloak like a life line.

"We got attacked by Mr 2-"

"He got away-"

"And and he beat us up-"

"We didn't stand a chance and-"

"Where's Chopper?-"

"What if Mr 2 finds Vivi?-"

"Woah woah calm down," Sanji said nonchalantly. His face made him seem calm but his eye just screamed 'thank the stars they're both alright'. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it and blew swirls of smoke into the dry desert air. "I heard a womanly scream and decided to investigate," Sanji explained. Tani pointed at Usopp, who scoffed and thwacked her upside the head.

"We were ambushed by Mr 2, we didn't see it coming so we got our asses handed to us on a silver platter," Tani explained. Sanji let out a heavy sigh, more smoke danced from his lips. "... Wait where's Chopper?" she said with a hint of concern.

Sanji's eye widened at the observation. The man cursed under his breath before turning back towards his injured nakama.

"He's all the way back towards the south west gate, you two should go meet up with him," Sanji suggested but it was more like a demand. Usopp nodded and turned to take his leave. Tani however refused.

"You'll be alone, I know you're a tough guy but you'll need a partner. That's why we paired up in teams isn't it," she grinned. Her arm already looping around the cooks own. He looked down at her with reluctant eyes. She stared back with unwavering resolve.

"What if we come across an enemy that's a woman, you wouldn't stand a chance mister white knight," Tani teased. The blonde rolled his eyes and huffed. Walking away from Usopp with Tani in tow.

Tani gave a thumbs up to Usopp, who nervously returned the gesture. Now that's no face for a brave warrior, now is it?

"Keep Chopper safe Mr Brave warrior of the sea!" Tani cheered from Sanji's side. Usopp perked up at the name, turning on his heel and calling back to her.

"You keep our Mr Prince from getting his ass handed to him Miss Bell!"

Miss Bell? It fits. She laughed aloud and continued skating beside the blonde chef. Usopp disappearing from sight.

...

"Nyoo~" Mr 2's voice echoed through the empty streets. Tani picked it up before her blonde partner did, her face scrunched up as recent memories of his pointed feet slamming into her stomach and chest replayed.

"He's here, just ahead," Tani whispered. Sanji nodded, pulling them over to a corner.

"You stay here, keep a look out for anyone suspicious alright?" he asked. Tani nodded, the blonde gave her a soft smile before turning away to face the flamboyant man.

Tani watched as they fought silently, both men utilising their powerful legs to attack. Though Mr 2 seemed to have the upper hand thanks to these really dumb looking swam shoes that would shoot out when he thrust his foot forward. Though thanks to Sanji's much smaller size, he was much quicker to dodge (only barely) the attacks. Tani found Sanji so mesmerising to watch, he managed to gain the upper hand at some point in the battle. Knocking Mr 2 to the ground and winning the battle... Or so they thought.

"The straw hats will always come out in top," Sanji declared coolly, his ragged form looking badass as he let out a puff of smoke, when did he light that?

"Nyooo~ you aren't going to kill me are you?" Mr 2 wept, his make up smudging with the fat tears. Sanji rolled his eyes.

"Why would I do that? The captain called you a friend, that would just be shitty for me to do," Sanji sounded so cool! Tani felt her eyes sparkle at the sight of him, he was that cool older brother she'd always wanted. Mr 2 wept louder, holding his face with both hands and wiggling around like a crushing school girl.

"Oh you're so kind! I could never imagine such a wonderful man to exist on this sea," Mr 2 said, he'd slapped his cheek and shifted to Nami's face unintentionally. Sanji instantly tensed, it was really noticeable. "You don't judge by looks or alignment, but by-"

"St-stop using my darling Nami's face!" Sanji said red faced with embarrassment. "Stop it or I'll kick your ass to the moon and back!" he growled. The shaking in his voice showing he wouldn't do such a thing, not when Nami was the face plastered on the man.

Shit!

Mr 2 stopped his crying, Nami's face looked cunning and devious. Tani didn't like where this was going.

The man, using their navigators face managed to dish out blow after blow to the cook, who refused to fight back because he's a chivalrous idiot! So Tani did the first thing she could think of.

"Oi!" she called out, the pair turned to face her. She twirled her yo-yo's around and flicked forward, one of them smacked into one of Mr 2's cheeks. But it was the wrong one because it changed his face to Tani's. Which was unnerving as hell!

"Sanji! That's not me, just hit the other cheek!" Tani assured. Sanji looked at Mr 2's perfect copy of the girl and felt his heart drop. He didn't want to hit her, even if it wasn't the real Tani.

Fed up with Sanji's hesitation, Tani bolts to his side and with one open hand, slaps as hard as she can into the correct cheek. Switching Mr 2 back, as well as knocking the wind out of him. Sanji snapped back to his senses and proceeded to beat up the stunned baroque works agent.

By the time the fight had ended, Mr 2 was covered in red splotches and purple marks. His face was as puffed as his pants, it was an ugly sight. Tani felt kinda bad, sure he did beat them up... But it was his job, and she'd already seen that they could be friends. Luffy already considered him a friend anyway. So with a warm smile, Tani knelt down with her hand in her pocket. She pulled out her very last bell and handed it to the barely conscious man.

"Though we're on opposite teams, the crew will still consider you a friend," she beamed. Bon Clay's swollen face did the best it could to smile. His tears ran like taps again.

"Nyoo~ you're kindness knows no bounds!" Mr 2 cried, "I'll always be your friend. Forever and always," he declared. Tani could help but smile. She held out a hand for Bon to hold.

"Let's find you somewhere more comfortable to rest," she said. Sanji gave her a sigh but smiled at her kindness. Kneeling down to loop an arm under the injured ballerina's arms. The pair proceeded to haul him over to a comfortable spot that hadn't been touched by the ongoing civil war that now ravaged the city. "Till we meet again," Tani bid farewell and grabbed Sanji by the hand. The man's cheeks burst into flames, Tani let out a chuckle.

"Where to now?" she asked. The chef shook his head to regain his composure.

"Vivi said to meet with her at the palace should she be unsuccessful in stopping the rebels," Sanji stated coolly. Pushing up the yellow sunglasses he was still wearing from his Mr Prince look. They made him look really cool in the girls opinion.

"I remember that, but shouldn't we check up on Usopp and Chopper?" she inquired. Sanji shook his head.

"Those two should be fine... I think," Tani wasn't impressed with that answer. "Look we have to check on Vivi first. The palace is the meeting place for everyone, so Usopp and Chopper will arrive there in no time." he argued. Tani felt worried for her friends, but Sanji squeezed the hand he was holding and gave her a confident look.

"They're too strong to die, believe in them a little will you?" he teased. Tani puffed her cheeks and glared childishly. Sanji laughed sweetly.

"Fine let's head to the palace then," she declared.

Tani and Sanji managed to avoid conflict with the rebels army and royal guard. The tracker keeping her ears open for the sound of bells. Sanji kept his hold on Tani's hand firm, not risking losing her to the mindless slaughter of war.

The palace drew nearer, the large gates that would open to an even larger set of stairs came into view, the pair picked up their pace. A dull pain in Tani's ankle being ignored.

She still couldn't hear any bells.

"There's guards at the gate," Sanji called to Tani. She turned and saw two emotionless faces that guarded the front gate with spears in hand. Sanji stood before them, letting go of Tani's hand and speaking to the guards.

"Please, has princess Vivi passed through here?" Sanji asked the stoic and unloving guards. The stubborn bastards wouldn't say a word.

"Look! We're here to stop the war, we need to speak with Vivi before its too late to do so!" Tani whined. The guards didn't stir.

A bell rang out. Tani whipped her head upwards. Seeing nothing but blue skies and the palace walls... Oh and vivid dangling body-

"VIVI!" Tani shrieked, pointing towards the woman's dangling body. Her waist was looped around a golden hook...

Oh... No... Oh no no no!

Crocodile held Vivi over the ledge of the massive castle wall. Her body dangled limply over the huge drop that would surely result in all of her bones becoming jelly on the stone pavement bellow, should she be dropped.

Sanji and Tani ran towards where she would be falling should Crocodile drop her. Tani felt her heart sink, exchanging a solemn look with Sanji at the results of Croc v Luffy fight.

"You'll never win!" Vivi shouted, her voice reaching the people on the bottom level of the city. Yet nobody seemed to notice their precious princess being an inch away from her demise. "The people will listen! The people will prevail!" she declared, her determination roaring from her core like a tiger.

Crocodile justed laugh that ridiculously stupid laugh. Vivi looked him dead in the eye and spat at him. Crocodile looked bored, his eyes lazily dropping as he gave her one final chuckle.

"Sanji he's about to-"

The hook that held her up was released. Her body dropped like a lead balloon, her screams couldn't be heard over the sound of conflict as her people fought among themselves, violently slaughtering one another in a war built on lies.

"CROCODILE!"

Tani felt her heart skip a beat.

The girl turned towards the sky, a silhouette of giant wings and a straw hat masked the sun. The bird dived towards Vivi at full speed, Luffy standing atop the creature with conviction.

Luffy took no time pausing, he jumped right into action. This arm looping around the descending Vivi and pulling her towards himself. He caught her, holding her with both his arms close. He's entered 'ass kicking' mode and Crocodile is on the top of the hit list.

He jumped off the bird, who took off back towards the war going on. Vivi was dropped into Sanji's arms, Luffy's back was turned from the three present. Tani's heart beat wouldn't slow down, she couldn't help but feel excitement, happiness and pride when she saw her captain standing bravely. Ready to take on the villain again.

"Luffy," she found herself saying without control. The straw hat man turned to look at her, she noticed the stained bandages under his vest. He also had a barrel of water with a hose attached to it on his back. "Good luck, don't die on us," she encouraged.

Luffy gave her a nod, his smile being that of confidence before turning away and slinging himself into the fray once more.

...

"There's a WHAT!?" The crew all shrieked as they gathered around Vivi who stood outside the palace gates with panic in her eyes. Everyone had just gathered back after taking down the many formidable baroque works agents, and now they had to locate and deactivate a bomb? This really was a Bond movie!

"Somewhere in the city yes! We need to find it before it blows up!" Vivi said frantically.

"Where would they hide a bomb?!" Chopper squeaked. Zoro pat the nervous deer's shoulder (he was heavy point) which didn't do much to calm his nerves.

"Well if it's a ticking time bomb than just keep your ears peeled for a ticking sound," Tani suggested. Her brain running at a million miles a second going through every bomb scene from every movie she'd seen. Pin pointing every single trope from the 'deactivates at the last second' to the 'always located where you'd most expect it' cliches... That's it!

"Vivi, where is the highest point in the city?" Tani asked right away. The blue haired princess combed her fingers through her hair in thought.

"Well there's um... There's the palace, the clock tower in the main square, the-"

"Boom! We've got the location, everyone let's go to the clock tower!" Tani took command and started running towards the main stage of the battle field. Guards and rebels dropped like flies as they fought the useless fight. The colourful straw hat crew run through them without a second glance. Eyes set on the clock tower up ahead.

"I SEE IT! The clock part is slightly off centre!" Usopp cheered nervously, his goggles pulled over his eyes as he stared up at the approaching tower. "There's one... Two people up there, one has a sniper rifle and the other seems to be the one controlling the bomb," Usopp updated.

"Wait!" Vivi gasped breathlessly. Heads turned to face her. "You can't get to the top of the tower, the stairs only go so far," she wheezed.

"How the hell do we get up there then?" Zoro groaned. The group looked critically at the tower, it was far too high for any of them to jump up from the top accessible window. You'd need a double jump for that to work... A double jump!

"Guys guys! Double jumping like Mario!" Tani said excitedly. Everyone gave her a dumbfounded look. "Mama Mia you guys don't know Mario, I forgot. OK OK so basically, we need to propel one of us all the way to the tippy top of the tower. Using throwing power," Tani explained.

"The best way to to that is to determine who would be the best to launch, it can't be Zoro or Sanji because you guys are gonna be the launchers," Tani planned aloud. The two men looked at each other with confusion. "Usopp you should stay on the ground floor and take out the sniper and bomb guy, you can do that right?" she asked before turning to see the man in full casts... Oh right.

"I... I can but it'll need to be one shot," he explained from the backside of Eyelash the camel. "I'll need someone to help me pull back the string," he explained.

"I can do that," Nami volunteered. Already by the snipers side, ready to help.

"Alright now all we need is someone to be launched, and the person that will be holding them for the final jump, the double jump part I mean," Tani rambled. Everyone just looked confused with this whole plan.

"You should do it, since you know what you're doing," Chopper suggested. "I can hold you through the final jump," he said with confidence. Tani nodded at that and began relaying the instructions.

"Sanji I need you to position yourself in the second window from the ground floor, Zoro you go to the top window. It's important that you guys are ready to push Chopper and I higher into the air. If we make one mistake it could mean the destruction of the city," Tani said with a serious tone.

The men nodded and proceeded to position themselves in the locations Tani had instructed them to be in. Nami and Usopp were taking out the sniper and bomb guy with ease. Chopper shifted to walking point and with that she sat awkwardly on his back.

"On my mark!" Tani shouted. The men readied themselves. Sanji's leg already held up, while Zoro unsheathed his swords. Tani nervously gripped at Choppers horns, only now did she realize that she was going to be flying through the air, what if she fell off? Or failed the jump! Chopper gave her a nervous look, seeing the lack of confidence in her face.

"On-n my... My. On my mark!" she parroted with a stutter. She shook her head and slapped at her cheeks. She had to do this! What would Luffy do? He'd laugh in the face of danger. So Tani would too! So with a nervously forced laugh she grabbed tightly at Choppers antlers and screamed.

"GO!"

Chopper ran as fast as he could, his reindeer form gave him an extra spring in his step, so when he jumped they managed to make it to the window where Sanji was positioned with ease. Sanji gave them a confident smirk. His leg whipping out under neath them, Chopper landed on the branched out limb. The combined force of the pair propelled Chopper and Tani higher, the duo making it to Zoro at a rapid rate. The swordsman jumped from the window, his swords formed and X shaped platform for Chopper to once again propels himself off of.

Chopper had made it to the base of the clock part, now was for the double jump. Tani closed her eyes, time froze for a moment as she built up the courage to jump.

3...

"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die," Tani chanted softly to herself.

2...

An explosion sounded from the clock tower, as a woman in a frog hat fell backwards into the clockroom. Her sniper rifle dropping to the ground below. Usopp must have made the hit!

1...

JUMP!

She kicked off of Choppers back, flying through the air. Her stomach dropped, and she wasn't ashamed to say that she screamed like a banshee as she flew through the air. Her body landed with a roll on the stone flooring of the clock room. Her voice laughed hysterically as she felt her face tear up from the adrenaline induced action.

"I'M ALIVE!" She cheered loud enough for the whole country to hear. Now why was she here? Oh right the bomb. She turned to find the massive cannon that would launch the bomb like a big cannonball. There was a live fuse burning at the back of the cannon, that needed to be cut before it was too late. Tani needed something sharp! Or wet, anything really to defuse the fuse.

Her sweaty forehead made it hard to think, she swiped at the liquid coating her skin... Liquid! Was sweat flammable? Guess there's one way to find out. The girl ran to the fuse and with her sweat coated fingers, clamped her fingers around the burning part. A satisfying sizzle sound escaped, music to her ears. She let out a squeal of joy at the victory.

Tick

Tick

Tick

"Hehee, you idiot," a man's voice mocked the cheering girl. She looked at him with question. He mocked her again, "The bombs got the timer, I made it myself hehehee,"

"Well how do you deactivate it?" she asked innocently, already moving to the opening of the cannon. This was just how the movies worked, she just needed to trick him into telling her the secret and she'll be victorious. "After all you are the genius that made such a destructive bomb," she batted her eyelashes with 'admiration' the man blushed.

"Well it's rather simple really, the bomb is voice activated but I'm the only one who can do it," he gloated proudly. Tani let out an awed gasp, clapping together her hands.

"Well it must be a very super secret phrase now shouldn't it?" she gushed. Come on just slip up, slip up.

"It is indeed, a very good code after all,"

"What could it possibly be?"

"Well it's genius if I do say so myself,"

"Oh do tell, do tell!"

"It's ravioli ravioli give me the formioli,"

"Voice command accepted, bomb successfully deactivated,"

"What?!"

"YES!" Tani laughed, before turning to the short man and clocking (hehee pun) him in the face with her fist. Knocking him out. Now to tie these guys up and get... Down... "How am I gonna get down from here?" she squeaked to herself.

She moved to the edge of the clock tower and looked down at the ground, her vision spun around as she looked down from the terrifying height. Her stomach bubbled bile up her throat, which she had to swallow back down... Gross.

Tani paced the small space, her hand to her chin as she wondered deep in thought how she would get out of this one. There was no way in hell she was jumping out of the building. That was just a death wish waiting to happen. So what to do, what to do.

"Need assistance getting down, miss?"

"Why yes I do indeed, random voice that just spoke out to me-ahh that was a real voice! who are you?" Tani turned to face a man dressed in pure white, with purple paint on his rather creepy face.

"Fear not, I'm one of princess Vivi's allies," he waved his hands calmly to settle the nerved girl down. "My name is Pell and I've been requested to come to your aid," he said with a bow. Tani looked back and forth between Pell and the open clock tower.

"How did you get up here? Did you double jump too?" she asked curiously.

"Double what? No I flew up here. I ate the bird bird fruit, model hawk," Pell explained. Oh devil fruit shenanigans.

"Well whatever I just really need to get down right now or so help me I'm going to have a breakdown and cry," Tani rambled with a forced smile. Pell nodded and shifted his form before Tani's very eyes. It was so weird but cool. Like a super hero! His arms grew larger with feathers, his legs shrank into these sharp talons, and his face grew a beak. Only his eyes remained the same, still that piercing purple colour.

"Oh you're the one Luffy was flying on," she said aloud. He gave a nod.

"Hop on miss," he ordered. Tani did just that, her hands clamped tightly around the birds neck. His face tensed as he realised just what he'd need to go through in the next 20 seconds...

Tani's blood curdling screams could have been heard from the high heavens, you'd think she was dying? Well she certainly thought she was. Dive bombing to the ground was not how she wanted to be drawn back to the precious earth. Yet here she was being rocketed from the clock tower to said ground. Pell's ears were ringing for the next couple hours thanks to that.

"Remind me to never ever never never ever EVER! Do a double jump again... Ever!" the frazzled girl slurred. Leaning against Sanji, who scooped the jelly legged girl into his arms the moment she landed. Everyone was here... Well almost everyone.

"Has Luffy come back yet?" Tani asked. Nami shook her head, explaining that the palace was currently empty. Meaning the fight had moved places, but where?

As if the heavens had heard her question, the earth beneath them shook violently. Nami fell over, knocking Usopp down with her. Zoro stood like a brick, Chopper sat on his shoulders. Tani was still in Sanji's arms, using himself as a cushion should they topple over.

"I bet that's Luffy's doing," Tani laughed. Zoro shook his head with a grin, the crew seemed to burst into laughter.

Of course Luffy was causing tremors in the very earth they walked on.

He was the future king of the pirates after all!


	19. Chapter 19

It started with a single drop of rain, the little drop came down from the sky and hit Usopp smack bang in the eye. At first he whined about it, but then the next drop fell, and the next, and the next so on so forth. The fighting ceased, the confused men and women stuck in a daze as the freshly fallen rain showered over their bloodied skin.

Cheers and screams of pure elation filled the air, the war they had fought only seconds ago was long forgotten as they basked in the refreshing rain. The reign of terror was over, they were free.

"The rain has fallen! The nightmare is finally over!" Vivi cried to her people, the men and women stared at their princess. The fat tears rolled down Vivi's cheeks, mixing with the blessed rain.

"Hey what's that?" some random called out. The massive form of a man came crashing down from the heavens, slamming into the centre square with his limbs spread out and his eyes rolled back.

Crocodile.

Tani felt the urge to walk over and kick the knocked out man. But she stayed with her nakama, waiting patiently for their captain to return.

The earth shook again, many toppled and fell over one another. A cloud of dust bloomed from the other side of the city. That had to be Luffy's doing. Nobody could be that destructive. So the crew waited... And waited... And waited. Chopper went over everyone's wounds, but he couldn't heal their worried hearts.

A single bell caught Tani's attention, her face lit up in the same manner as the towns people had, at the sight of rain. He was here! Luffy's back! She lifted her head only to be faced with a tall man with aged features, piggybacking a passed out Luffy. Zoro was quick to collect the sleeping captain, giving a thankful nod to the mystery man.

Luffy looked like he'd been through hell and back, his knuckles bloodied from the long fight, crimson stained bandages wrapped his torso, and his skin was tinted a slight purple. Wasn't Luffy unable to bruise?

"Father..." Vivi smiled. The man opened his arms, and the princess charged full force at him. Wrapping her arms around him tightly, sobbing happily for the millionth time that day. "It's over! We won!" she cried. The king lifted her face and wiped away her tears. He slowly faces the straw hat crew, who were crowding their wounded captain.

"Straw hat was badly poisoned during his fight, Crocodile's partner administered the cure so he should survive," the king informed. That would explain Luffy's normally sun-kissed skin being that sickly purple. "He also lost a lot of blood, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't wake up for another three days," Vivi's father finished, turning to face Vivi once again.

"The people are in need of our guidance," the king said softly. Turning his gaze back to the crew who had helped secure their victory. "You wouldn't mind if I stole Vivi for a while would you?" he asked.

"No no not at all, please take your time," Nami said, only those who really knew her could hear the strain in her words. The king gave her a nod, turning away with Vivi in tow. Once the royal pair was out of sight...

*Collapse*

The straw hats melted into a puddle on the wet sandy stone path, panting and groaning tiredly. They were completely and utterly exhausted! This was their biggest achievement yet, so they earned this nap. The crew curled close to one another, using each other for warmth and comfort. Sleep taking hold of them all.

...

Tani woke up in what felt like the most comfortable bed in the world, she didn't remember falling asleep in a bed so she jolted up and stared at her surroundings.

The room was a white walled room with rows of beds, each bed held its own straw hat crew member. Tani let out a relieved sigh, a small warm smile gracing her tired face. Zoro and Luffy snored loudly, Sanji was tangled in his blanket while falling off the bed, Usopp was drooling and Nami was hugging Chopper like a fluffy teddy bear.

A loud rumble bubbled from the lone girls stomach, her hands flying to clutch her demanding stomach. A bright red bloomed on her face, which was stupid because nobody heard her.

"You're finally awake,"

Never mind...

Tani lifted her head to find a baggy eyed Vivi rushing to her side. The princesses hair was out, laced with expensive looking jewelry. She looked like a real princess, and Tani found herself bedazzled.

"How are you? Do you feel ill? Does anything hurt?" Vivi fired a question a second. Tani blinked back her confusion before putting her hands on the frantic princesses shoulders.

"Food," Tani demanded. Vivi blinked dumbly before bursting into laughter.

"Of course of course, let me go grab Igaram," she stated merrily before gliding out the door to who knows where. Now that Tani was left alone with her thoughts, her first instinct was to check for her stuff. Her bag was safely placed on a bed side table, and rummaging through it she found that everything seemed to be in order... Except her camera.

The thing wasn't broken no, it had been used. Tani could tell because there was a smudged finger print on the button that was not hers. Her curiosity was peaked, who took photos while she wasn't paying attention again? How did any of them know how to use it? She wanted to get the film developed so she could find out.

"Mama maaaa!" that oh so familiar voice filled the room, as did the scent of mouth watering food! A few bodies stirred by her side. Nami and Chopper raised their tired heads, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. "Oh princess Vivi, it looks like more have awoke," the Mayor guy from Whisky peaks?! Entered the room... Wasn't he-

"I thought you exploded?" Nami stated bluntly with widened eyes. Chopper squeaked at that, turning to face the red head with half formed words spilling from his mouth.

"Well you s-" cough cough, "Ma maa! Well you see, I was saved right before the blast by a flurry of hands tossing me into the ocean," he explained. That was weird and down right creepy, but he's alive and that's all that matters. "Is any-" cough, "Maa! Ma! Anyone hungry?" he asks while revealing a plate of food that Tani wasn't familiar with. She took the closest thing to an apple (it was pretty sweet but had a sourish bite afterwards) and a couple of the flat breads.

Nami and Chopper ate as well, the smell that filled the air managed to wake up Usopp and Sanji. Who joined the group that was forming between Tani and Nami's beds. Last to wake up was Zoro, who let out a massive yawn and strolled over only to fall back to sleep on Tani's bed.

Luffy was still knocked out. But the damage he took from that fight with Crocodile was brutal! How he managed to survive being poisoned, dehydrated, drowned in sand and pierced clean through the chest was a miracle in itself! Tani turned her gaze to his peaceful face, no signs of pain or fear. It was calming... This whole ordeal was over.

After everyone had finished their breakfast, Vivi offered to show them around the palace and Alubarna. Zoro and Chopper stayed behind to watch Luffy (well Zoro was sleeping so really it was just Chopper) the rest of the crew was walked around the palace. It's what Tani was expecting when she thought Arabian nights meets Sahara desert.

What caught her ear though was the sound of her special bell ringing.

"Finally!" she cheered, pulling the bell out of her pocket and shaking it. Her crew plus Vivi looked at her with confusion. The girl just grinned at them, "Well looks like I'll be splitting from here, I got a store to find!" she stated excitedly, she couldn't wait for air conditioning! And water bottles! But mostly air conditioning!

Usopp was curious about this store she went to often, he wanted to follow her. Yet had to hold himself back, what if she was a witch or cursed him for following her? He couldn't risk it. Sanji gave a huff, it looked weird without smoke following but the doctors orders were no smoking for the next day or two. Nami didn't pay much mind to Tani's actions, she knew the girl just needed a slice of home. Vivi continued with the tour, sans one participant. Tani would find her way back, she had a weird knack for finding her nakama after all.

...

"Hello! Long time no see," Tani quipped as she entered the automatic doors of the IDCS, waving at the familiar clerk who smiled and waved back. "You wouldn't happen to know where I can grab some water bottles would you?" Tani asked. The clerk simply smiled and floated (yes floated!) over the counter.

"Right this way madam," they stated, waving their hand in a ghostly manner towards one of the many rows of shelves. The sign above the lane stated it was the 'water based products' lane, as she passed she found swimming gear and bottled drinks. Maybe Tani could find some bathers and a snorkel? Bottles were a priority though, Tani grabbed three reusable bottles of water, as she turned her eyes caught onto a device she'd never seen before.

It was small, in a bright peach colour with black parts poking out both sides of the small oval shaped centre. The black parts had holes in them, like a radios speakers kinda look if Tani had to compare it to anything. The clerk gave a chime like giggle.

"I see our exclusive scorkel device has caught your eye, they're rather popular in the 2100's," they remarked, standing in front of the product, "This scorkel is an IDCS exclusive item that allows the user the ability to breath underwater. Simply bite around the cushion like mouth guard and inhale through the mouth," they chirped with that infomercial voice, "Our line of scorkels come in a wide range of colours, and sell for the reasonable price of $50 per model," they ended with a grin.

Tani looked back at the item, it would be extremely useful in a situation where someone like Luffy or Chopper fell in the ocean, or they needed to go deep diving. Tani turned back to the clerk and asked a couple more questions. Which the clerk answered dutifully, each response making it very clear that this was a product that would aid Tani immensely. So she grabbed that peach one that caught her eyes, her three water bottles, a couple snacks and a one piece bathing suit and swim shorts. She wanted to go swimming after all this craziness.

Maybe the palace has a pool? Probably not since its a desert island and all. Swimming made her mind run back to those times when she'd visit the beach with her mother. The home sickness seemed to simmer in the back of her mind. She missed her mum, hoping that the woman was alright on her own.

"Will that be all for today," the clerk asked, floating back to the counter. Tani gripped her backpacks straps, realisation dawned on her face.

"Actually," Tani stated, pulling out her camera from her bag and handing it over to the clerk. "Can you develop these for me?" she asked. The clerk took the camera and with a flick of the wrist, opened and removed the film within.

"Of course I can, it'll take about 3 days for your photos to be developed, we shall send it to you via mail. As a thank you for using our services, please accept our IDCS brand film as a replacement for your camera," the clerk smiled, reloading the camera before Tani could say anything. "Now, will that be all for today?"

Tani gave a small smile while taking her camera back, she handed over her items and the card to proceed with purchase. A question on her mind.

"How exactly do I earn currency?" she'd been wondering this since Lougetown but forgot to ask. The clerk scanned an item.

"For every major plot point you complete successfully, you'll be rewarded with points," they answered. Tani blinked in surprise.

"What like? Like a movie plot?" she asked with a couple stars dancing in her eyes. The clerk snickered.

"It's more like a TV show or long running comic series, but yes," they said with a wink. Tani bounced on the balls of her feet. Does that mean future adventures would work with her movie logic way if thinking? That would be hella useful if that was the case. The clerk placed the neatly filled bags on the counter top, bells a plenty tied to the bags. Tani took them in her hands.

"Thank you so much, see ya later!" Tani waved, the clerk gave a grin that was a little bit wider than their average smile and waved back with a "Thank you, come again,".

Tani turned her back on the clerk and left the store... Now how does she get back?

...

Miraculously Tani found her way back to the palace infirmary, Zoro was still napping in her bed which meant she wasn't getting that back any time soon. Usopp was fiddling with a blueish staff that Tani hadn't seen before, was that a new weapon of his? Nami and Sanji were missing from the room, as well as Vivi so she was probably with those two. Tani turned her eyes towards the still sleeping captain.

His skin was much healthier now, that purple had vanished. Fresh bandages coated his knuckles and torso. He was recovering quickly, which was wonderful news that lifted the weights off the whole crews shoulders.

Tani sat on Zoro's bed, which was right next to Luffy. She pulled out a packet of chips, popped that sucker open and crunched on the thin potato chip. A small part of her hoped that the smell of food would wake Luffy up, but it was still only day one of his expected rest time. She could only hope.

"Hey whatcha got there?" Usopp asked from the other side of the room, dropping the blue staff and walking over. Tani held out the packet of chips for Usopp to take some. Hope he likes sour cream and onion. Chopper turned around and followed behind Usopp to inspect the snack. Soon all three of them were sitting on Tani's new bed and sharing the snack.

"These taste different from the last time we had them," Usopp observed. Tani thought back to when they'd last shared snacks... Oh! When Luffy lost half their stuff at the beginning of the trip! She had a packet of original chips last time.

"It's a different flavour, I got sour cream and onion rather than original," Tani informed. This felt like a conversation she'd have had at school with her classmates. This time however, she was surrounded by people that actually care about her. So they ate the chips together, enjoying each others company blissfully.

"Oh what were you working on over there Usopp?" Tani asked curiously. Pointing at the three blue poles left on his bed. He proudly puffed out his chest.

"That would be the first model of the clima-tact, a weather based weapon specifically catering to Nami's needs," he answered with pride. Tani felt her excitement bubble.

"What does it do?" she asked, shoving a handful of chips into her mouth. Usopp rubbed under his nose.

"It's main function is to produce heat or cool bubbles into the air. With the right combination, clouds can be formed to create thunder and lightning," he rambled. Tani bounced on the bed with glittering eyes. Chopper looked just as awestruck.

"That's so cool!" Tani said, throwing her hands into the air. Usopp rubbed under his nose again with a flustered expression. "I knew you made weapons but that's insane! All we have at home are guns, guns, and more guns," Tani pouted. It was true though, all the new weapons being produced were never as interesting as something like the clima-tact.

"Yeah, you gotta get real creative when you're competing with the likes of Luffy or Zoro," Usopp said with a snicker, though Tani heard an underlying tone to the statement. "Nami and I are the weakest members of the crew in terms of physical attacks... Actually you're part of that aren't you?" Usopp pondered aloud. Tani laughed.

"You're talking to the girl that takes about triple the time to recover from any injury. I'm the weakest one here," she laughed, and it was true. She was the weakest person on the crew, and it was a bother to her but...

"I don't really mind though," she said softly. Turning to look at Luffy who was sleeping peacefully, then back to Usopp and Chopper. "I have my nakama to keep me safe," she grinned. Usopp and Chopper both looked so touched. The reindeer threw himself at her face, hugging her tightly while claiming that he wasn't at all affected by the compliment "You shitty bastard" with a sway of his hips and a cute little face.

Usopp looped around her waist and wailed loudly about how sweet she was. Tani hugged them back.

She was so blessed to have found the Straw hat pirates.

...

"Oh there you are," Nami said to Tani, looking up at the girl who was holding a thick envelope in her hands. "What's that you've got there?" the red head inquired. Tani held out the envelope with a grin.

"I got my photos developed, now I have pictures of our adventures from the beginning of the Grand-line up until now," Tani grinned. Walking over to Nami and sitting next to her on the small couch, the navigator leaned into Tani to get a better look at the photos.

The first image was of Luffy standing atop the platform where the previous pirate king was executed. Now that was a day! Chased by marines, finding the dimension store, almost losing Luffy to a clown! And it only got weirder from there...

The next image was the top of reverse mountain, it was a really pretty view. Even if it was much too high for Tani's tastes. Everyone was so excited! That was also an adventurous day.

There were a bunch of random photos ranging from silly snaps of the crew relaxing on deck, to scenic shots of the islands they'd visited... Then Tani found them.

There was a couple of shots that she didn't take, because she was in the shot! She didn't know who took them (or knew how to use the camera for that matter) but there was a shot of her in the sleeping pile of straw hats from the first night in Alabasta. There was a few from that night actually, a lot of them focusing on Tani and Luffy (though it caught Usopp and Chopper since they were also attached to the girl). This had to be Ace! Or Vivi? But she seemed too innocent for that.

She skimmed passed many of the other photos, though gave a snicker at the one of Ace with his face planted in his meal from when they were split off from the crew. All of the photos made the girl grin, she'd be holding onto these for a while.

By the time she finished looking through the photos, Chopper and Usopp had joined the viewing. Zoro was still napping and Sanji would be bringing in lunch with Igaram's wife any minute now. Luffy had been shifting in his sleep so the crew hoped he would be awoken by the smell of meat.

As if on cue! Sanji hollered at the crew with a trolley of food being pushed in front of him. Igaram's wife greeted them kindly with her deep voice, the crew began chatting in hushed voices.

Tani kept her eyes on Luffy, because she knew this was gonna be funny. The captains nose twitched like a dog's, his eyes shifted behind his eye lids, fingers flexed and relaxed. All Sanji had to do was-

Sanji lifted the lid off a tray of cooked meat, and like a spring Luffy had flung up. Sitting as straight as a board as he stared at the tray, his first instinct was to grab and shove the whole thing in his mouth... So he did. The crew rolled their eyes and laughed.

"Geez... Not even a good morning? Hey how have you guys been while I've been passed out for three days?" Usopp chastised the captain who wasn't paying attention because he was sitting there with a quizzical look on his face. If you looked hard enough you could see the steam pouring out his ears. His face quickly changed to that of realization, his fist hitting the palm of his other hand.

"That's fifteen meals I've missed," Luffy claimed. Tani just blinked in surprise, as did Nami and Usopp. Who would have thought Luffy could count past ten? Sanji rolled his eyes and planted his foot into the captains face with a scowl. Chopper panicked and told Sanji off for being so violent against the patient.

"... Wait that's five meals a day!" Nami shouted, Tani and Usopp pat her on the back in sync. It wasn't worth it Nami...

"I'm hungry! Let's have that feast already!" Luffy declared. What feast? Vivi who had followed Sanji in with the meal, closed her eyes and gave her biggest smile.

"I'll let the chefs know that your reward is ready to be delivered," she beamed. Turning around and leaving the room with her smooth blue hair fanning behind her. It was so weird seeing it not in a pony tail. Igaram's wife wheeled the empty trolley away, promising more food for the rest of the crew.

Chopper jumped onto Luffy's bed and did a quick once over on Luffy's injuries. They'd all healed very quickly which was great for the crew. It meant they didn't need to stay around for any longer.

"So when are we leaving?" Zoro asked from his bed, everyone's eyes on him. That's right, they may have saved the country but they were still wanted criminals...

"Shouldn't we wait for Vivi? She hasn't been asked to join the crew yet has she?" Nami asked. Luffy gave a quick nod, attention now on their captain.

"We'll leave tonight, after our feast because I'm hungry," he declared. Some eye rolls and soft snickers littered the silent room.

"Than that's the plan," Zoro reconfirmed with a nod. Now they just needed to have their rewarded feast.

...

Arms reached over each other to grab meals off the dishes splayed across the massive table, plates and glasses handed to those too far away to reach. Luffy's limbs flew around the place, stealing from everyone's plates and shovelling fifteen meals worth of food into is gullet. Chopper choked on his food, Sanji asked for recipes, Zoro and Nami had a drink off (Nami won) and Tani was just trying to not get hit whenever Luffy retracted his arms.

Everyone had a pleasant time. It was as jolly as the small parties they had on the Going Merry... Tani missed the Merry, she missed her jacket and her spot near the Merry's figure head.

"You gonna eat that?" Luffy of all people asked her, pointing at her half finished plate. Normally the bastard would just steal it and be on his merry way. Tani just gave him a soft smile and handed him the plate. She could always just grab something else off the table. Nami and Usopp exchanged a look of 'what the hell, did that interaction actually happen?!' with each other before turning back to defending their food.

All in all, a great feast that was well earned for these rookie pirates.

"Oh! You all must feel filthy from the lack of proper showers," Vivi commented during the feast. Nami and Sanji listened in and spoke on behalf of the crew.

"Yeah, I haven't had a proper shower for ages," Nami said with pain in her voice. She was probably the cleanest person on the crew.

"Plus Luffy's been out cold for three days, he reeks." Sanji said with his tongue poking out in disgust towards the captain, who was still chomping away at a leg of meat.

"Well we have excellent spa baths and hot spring style baths, if you would like to join me? Men have their own half of course." the princess asked sweetly. Her cheeks a healthy glow of pink when staring at Nami. The redhead clapped her hands like she'd won the lottery.

"Of course! This is going to be so relaxing," she swooned. The crew continued eating, Vivi smiled sweetly at the city saviours.

...

Tani stood before the entrance of the girls spa room with her face heating up. A mix of the hot fumes and her own body shyness. A towel wrapped firmly around her chest that barely made it to her thighs. The room was female exclusive, so she didn't need to worry about that issue. Yet her gut said something would happen, and she probably wouldn't like it.

Nami and Vivi were already in there, she could hear them speaking to each other with sweet whispers and sheepish giggles. They were practically in their own little world. The two had gotten really close since Vivi integrated herself into the crew. It would be a shame if she didn't join.

Tani let out a deep breath, closed her eyes, and pushed past the thin cloth that worked as a door to the spa. A wave of steam hit her instantly, leaving her feeling a little dizzy while her eyes adjusted to the new environment.

It was massive, with half the space being used as a bath, with a fountain in the centre that provided more steaming hot water. There also appeared to be a couple fancy benches with buckets beside them. Tani had gotten used to having to clean herself up before entering the bath so that must be what those are for.

Nami was sitting on the ground in front of Vivi, her legs curled under her body while her hands rested in her lap. Vivi was busy rubbing shampoo into Nami's hair, a ruby red glow on the princesses cheeks that rivaled the colour of Nami's hair. The navigator took notice of Tani's arrival.

"You're here," she smiled with a relaxed sigh. Tani had never seen her so unwound, Vivi must be working wonders. Nami motioned for Tani to sit beside her. "Here, I'll do your hair for you," she said. Tani did as instructed.

Nami's hands slowly massaged the massive mound of hair that nested on Tani's head. Her fingers soothing the girls tired scalp. Tani wouldn't help but sigh into the massage, her limbs felt like jelly.

Her ears could pick up on the sound of splashing and laughing from Usopp and Luffy, of course they'd treat this like a pool party. The others were pretty quiet, give or take a couple of comments about the food, the spa, Chopper stop moving, taking a peek over the wall, the pala-

Take a peek over the wall?

Tani looked up at the side where the boys were situated, and yes... There was a gap in the wall up the very top, where the ventilation was whirling to stop the rooms from overheating.

Tani felt herself cling tighter to her towel, not risking to let it go for even a moment. She kept her eyes on the top of the wall, using her sensitive hearing to make out what the boys were saying.

"Take a quick look, we'll never get a chance like this again," said a voice that sounded suspiciously like Sanji... Honestly Tani wouldn't put it past him. Guy loved women way too much to not take up an opportunity like this.

"Isn't that an invasion of privacy," Chopper spoke up. Yeah, way to go Chopper!

"Well if we stay quiet, they'll never know," Sanji's voice said with a shrug. Sanji you're better than this... Tani felt herself face palm. Nami took notice of this.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly. Tani pointed towards the boys side of the room.

"They're planning to be perverts," she said with a sigh. Nami clicked her tongue, before turning to Vivi.

"I should have known this would happen... They are boys after all," Nami said with an amused expression. Tani felt anything but amusement. Vivi took on a just as humoured expression as Nami.

"Perhaps we should make their peeping worth it," Vivi said with a sinister tone. That's the scariest Tani had ever heard her voice go. The dark skinned girl was utterly confused with their plan.

It was like Nami and Vivi were on their own plane of existence, knowing exactly what's going on in each others minds at all times.

Tani heard scampering, they were approaching. About... Three.. Four... Five pairs of legs scaled the wall.

"They're climbing now," Tani whispered. Nami and Vivi turned to each other with a wink. The girls played pretend, as if they didn't know that the boys would be peeping.

Honestly Tani was surprised that her own crew mates would be so dirty minded. Willing to perv on the girls when they least expected it... Well Tani expected it but she's an exception.

The climbing stopped, and Tani had to force herself not to make it clear that she knew they were there. Using her peripheral, she managed to spot Sanji, Vivi's father?! Igaram, Usopp and...

Holy shit was that Luffy?

Now that was a shocker. He had never even once shown any interest in any girls ever from what Tani had seen. Yet there he was, peeping over the wall with curiosity. God she hoped it was peer pressure or something.

"Well would you look at that," Nami said nonchalantly. "It appears I have too much soap on my fingers, and I can't hold up my towel much longer," she said to Vivi like this was at all an organic conversation.

With that warning, she stood up and dropped the towel, exposing her bare body to the audience of peeping toms. Tani looked up to find four of the five men holding their heads back as blood drizzled from their noses. All except Luffy, who kinda just sat their looking bored. Thank god he wasn't a pervert!

"Every man that just took a look now owes me 10,000 berri," Nami announced with a smug smile. Vivi snickered at this while the boys groaned at being caught.

Tani found herself nervously laughing, her hands still holding onto her towel. Luffy gave her a wave from atop the wall once he noticed her. She waved back.

That was an experience...

...

Puru puru puru

"Since when did we get a snail phone?" Tani asked, folding the blanket she was taking with her... What the blankets here were soft! Sanji pulled the small snail out of his suit pocket.

Puru puru kacha

"Hello?" Sanji answered cautiously. It was an enemy den den after all. There was a beat of silence before-

"STRAW HAT NYOOOO~?"

The sound of Bon Clay's voice bounced off the walls and struck the unsuspecting straw hats ears. Luffy got up and took the den den off of Sanji and answered.

"Yo! Who's this?" Luffy asked. Tani and Sanji exchanged a look. Both of them knowing exactly who it was.

"Straw hat! It's me Bon Clay," the flamboyant man responded. Luffy's face soured a bit.

"Didn't you beat up my nakama? Next time I see you I'm gonna kick your ass," Luffy growled.

"Yes I did, and I'm so sorry nyooo! I was just doing my job please forgive me Straw hat~" Bon Bon cried, the sound of his bell dinged on the other end of the line. Tani felt her face lift slightly.

"Oh ok then!" Luffy laughed. Many jaws dropped at their captain quick to forgive attitude. "Why'd you call?" Luffy asked.

"Ah well straw hat! I have safely secured and protected your ship from the marines," Bon Clay responded. Everyone tensed. "I've hidden your ship for now, but you don't have much time before they find it again," he informed seriously. Luffy hummed with a nod, eyeing the crew knowingly.

"Alright, keep Merry safe!" Luffy commanded. Bon Bon responded with a "Nyoo~" before hanging up.

The room went silent, everyone hurried to packing their bags again. Then she spoke.

"So you're leaving now then?" Vivi said with a teary expression. The crew turned to look at the princess standing in the doorway. The crew had already packed their bags and was using the windows as an escape. Luffy turned to the princess and grinned.

"Come with us," he suggested. It wasn't like how he normally asked people to join his crew. This was more of an invitation rather than a command. Vivi actually had a choice in the matter.

A colour of emotions filtered over her face, ranging from excitement to worry, gratitude to sadness. All of them until she settled on a close eyed smile.

"I'll need to think about it," she stated. Luffy gave a nod.

"We're leaving at noon tomorrow, you have until then," Luffy told her, turning back to the window to follow the rest of the crew who were slipping out. Tani was the second last to leave, her eyes lingering on the massive drop. Why of all the things she could have feared did it have to be heights?

Tani froze up as she stared down at the ground, her nakama waved at her and smiled as a way to assure her she was going to be alright... Then a Luffy got involved.

"Let's go!" the rubber man cheered, an arm coiled around the fearful girls waist. She tensed, knowing exactly what was to come. "Gum Gum," he shot his free hand forwards, grabbing onto something outside.

"No no no wai-"

"Rocket!"

The pair flew through the air, way faster than Pell did when he held Tani. Luffy aimed right for where Zoro was standing, the unlucky sucker didn't know what hit him... Well he did but he couldn't have reacted because it's Luffy! He's a force of nature in all honesty.

Tani rolled away from Luffy as soon as they landed. She gasped to fill her lungs with air, laying flat on the ground to embrace the sandy earth like it was her life source. Zoro, Nami and Sanji all thwacked their captain upside the head, though he just chuckled and recovered.

"Come on everyone! We gotta go save Merry," Luffy commanded, everyone let out a tired but determined sigh and followed behind their now fully healed captain.

...

"Luffy it's too early to leave!" Nami fretted. Only for the side of the ship to get pierced by yet another one of the marines harpoons.

The crew was in a panic at this point, Usopp and Tani were below deck trying to patch up the holes while Zoro and Sanji were pulling out the massive metal harpoons. Chopper had been put on steering and Nami was doing her navigator thing. Oh and Bon Clay had just pulled a self sacrifice move and got his whole crew captured to allow the straw hats an escape. Luffy having given the flamboyant man a tearful goodbye and promising to never forget him.

The crew had to leave earlier than planned, the Merry was taking on some massive damage. So with solemn expressions the straw hats pulled the anchor and set sail, hoping Vivi would forgive them.

"Luffy!" a voice called out through what sounded like an intercom. The crew had been so distracted with escape that they had failed to hear the wonderful words of their nakama. The tearful words of goodbye from Vivi, who had declined the offer to join in order to stay with her people.

"Are we still friends? Straw hat Luffy!" the princess hiccuped tearfully. Luffy went to shout back, but Sanji clamped a hand over the captains mouth.

"Shh, careful Luffy. If Vivi is associated with pirates she'll be an enemy to the world government," Sanji said lowly.

Everyone had gathered onto the back end of the boat. Seeing the princess in a beautiful white and red garment, her blue hair contrasting with the golden sands around her.

"Please... Are we still nakama?" she cried. Luffy turned away from her. Slowly lifting his arm in the air, the sleeve of his robe fell to reveal the white cloth used to cover up the X marks on their arms. He tore the cloth off his arm and held the X mark high and mighty for the princess to see. The rest of the crew followed. All of them standing in a row, showing off their declaration of friendship and silent promise of support for one another.

Vivi tearfully held up her arm as confirmation of her loyalty to the straw hats. Wishing them good luck on their journey.

"Set sail!" Luffy commanded. Everyone made a run for their positions. Nami catching a particularly strong breeze and zooming the boat away from the desert island. Their adventures on the Grandline resumed.

...

"What are you guys all moping about?" Zoro asked the six straw hats all lining the railing with gloomy expressions.

"We miss Vivi," they said in sync. Zoro rolled his eyes.

"She made her choice, we can't be upset about it," he stated matter-of-factly. Everyone narrowed their eyes at him.

"Shitty swordsman,"

"You neanderthal,"

"Heartless jerk,"

"Moss for brains,"

"Three sword style,"

"..."

"Luffy that's not an insult," Usopp corrected, Luffy thought for a moment before editing his insult.

"Four sword style," he improved, that seemed to strike a nerve that the rest of the crew didn't realize... That is except Tani who burst into laughter when remembering four sword style.

"Alright you idiots let's get going before the marines come back for more," Zoro took charge, everyone got up sluggishly and prepared to navigate this wild ocean.

"My my, you sure are a funny bunch," came the alluring voice of a woman... Wait a minute.

All attention was drawn to the raven haired woman sitting on the stairs of the Merry her head resting on her palm as she smiled a dangerously sweet smile. Weapons were drawn and held in the mystery woman's direction.

"What are you doing on my ship lady?" Luffy glared, crossing his arms as he stared at the woman. She gave a little huffed laugh.

"I'm here to join your crew of course," she said smoothly. Was she... Was she kidding?

"But you're the lady that was in that underground thing when I kicked Crocodile's ass, you're a bad guy," Luffy rebutted.

"Yes but you saved my life when I'd lost all will to live. Therefore I'm your problem now," she refuted. "Plus my previous organisation ceases to be," The cogs in Luffy's brain churned before he nodded.

"Yeah that makes sense, welcome aboard!" he cheered. Everyone but Sanji seemed to be against this. Sanji just did his usual women appreciation thing, while the rest of the crew strangled their captain.

"She's gotta be a spy or something! Maybe an assassin" Usopp shivered as he looked at the woman cautiously. She gave him a lazy wave which freaked him out.

"This is crazy! Luffy how can you trust someone so readily?" Tani said with her arms crossed. Luffy gave that unique "shishishi" laugh before shrugging.

"I dunno, just instincts," he snickered. Everyone rolled their eyes and groaned. "Plus I trusted you when you showed up on my ship out if nowhere," he countered.

Oh he has a point...

"Whatever, let's just follow the log pose and get to the next island, we need to restock soon," the navigator state, grabbing Sanji by the back of his shirt and dragging him away to help her with steering.

Tani and Usopp both exchanged a look, turning back to look at the woman. Hell they didn't even know her name! How were they supposed to trust her.

"What are we gonna do?" Tani whisper shouted to Usopp. The sniper held his chin in thought.

"Why don't we just interrogate her? If she's on the crew she can't refuse," Usopp clicked. Tani clapped in agreement.

So here they were now, two chairs pulled up to the woman's table and asking her questions.

"What's your name?" Tani was the first to ask a question

"Nico Robin, please call me Robin," she relied.

"Pleased to meet you Robin... Wait! Don't think you can butter me up like that. You're still suspicious," Tani angry pouted. The older woman just laughed.

"What's your occupation?" Usopp questioned.

"I'm an archaeologist," she answered simply. Tani blinked dumbly.

"But you were working for a crime syndicate? Like top dog levels, how the hell did you achieve that?" Tani prodded. Robin tilted her head.

"I can defend myself, I'm very good at not getting caught you know," she gave off an air that said this was very true. Usopp butt into the conversation.

"Do you have a devil fruit?" Usopp questioned suspiciously. She leaned back in her chair, her hands crossed over her chest in an X shape before she spoke.

"Tres fluer"

The scent of flowers filled the air, as did many little pink petals that were caught in the wind.

"Tani! You're head!" Usopp shrieked. Tani blinked confusedly. Her hands moving to touch her head, only instead of touching her curly hair or baseball cap, she felt soft skin. The arms that bloomed from her head bent to grab her hand in a friendly hand shake.

"I bare the Hana Hana fruit," she replied, her hands unfolding from her chest. The arms puffed into a collection of petals. "It allows me to sprout any part of my body onto any surface," she explained. Tani was in awe! What a creepy yet awesome power!

"She's a monster!" Usopp wailed, hiding behind Tani. The girl rolled her eyes and pushed the cowardly sniper away. "She could kill us all, or spy on us when we weren't expecting it!" he said with a pointed finger. Tani turned him away from Robin, the pair faced each other and began discussing.

"She could be a danger to the ship," Usopp whisper shouted.

"But she's also been approved by Luffy, and she hasn't harmed us yet,"

"YET!"

"Shh keep it down,"

"Hey Tani! Usopp look look!" Luffy interrupted their conversation. The pair turned in sync to find Luffy facing away from them, hands sprouted from his head. He turned around and pulling his best impression face. "Chopper!" he said in a Chopper voice.

"Pffft," Tani spat out a laugh, Usopp followed behind. Usopp rolled on the floor clutching his stomach while Tani wiped tears from her eyes. All that tension... And Robin was just as immature as the rest of them.

Tani turned back to find no malice in the woman's gaze, she looked relaxed. Far more so than she did when she was Miss All-sunday. Her ability to entertain Luffy and the others would also be a great asset to the crew. They needed an adult on this ship.

Maybe Robin wouldn't be so bad.


	20. Chapter 20

"The fish aren't biting today," Usopp whined. Slumping over the railing with his fishing rod in hand. Tani was bored out of her mind. Zoro was doing more solo training to hone in on that new steel cutting technique he learned when fighting Mr 1, so Tani was left to entertain herself with a fishing rod... But no fish were biting.

"Ugh!" Nami groaned for the fifth time that morning, she was furiously tapping at the log pose attached to her wrist. "Stupid thing is broken," she growled.

"Miss navigator, what seems to be the problem?" Robin asked politely. Walking over to Nami's side, she noticed that the pose was pointing upwards. Nami gave it a few more taps but let out an annoyed groan and flopped over the railing outside the kitchen area. Her log pose was exposed, and seemed to grab Luffy's unstimulated minds attention. Robin let out a snicker.

"That means that another island with a much stronger magnetic pull has caught our log. A sky island to be exact," she sounded full of wisdom, maybe she's been to a sky island before.

Luffy grabbed Nami's hand and pulled it closer to him so he could take a look at the log pose. His eyes glittering with adventurous intent. Nami let out a gasp and pulled her hand away.

"No no no no no! We are not going to a sky island, because we can't fly!" she stated matter-of-factly. Luffy pouted and crossed his arms.

"But Nami," he elongated her name, "I'm the captain, and I wanna go to the sky island," he said defiantly, with absolution in his tone.

"Who has ever heard of a ship sailing in the sky? Because I haven't," Nami retorted. A smug look on her face as she pointed to the sky. She failed to notice small planks of wood falling from the spot she was pointing towards.

As if the gods had heard her question. A giant wooden boat fell from the sky! Rotten wood and moss covered planks toppled from the boat as it made impact with the ocean below it. Sending an array of shock waves towards Merry. That landing was way to close of comfort. The waves from the ships landing, washed over the main deck of the Merry. Robin made a net of arms to catch anyone who threatened to fall over board.

"Nami! Rule two of the movie hand book. Never ever make a statement like that!" Tani coughed, water sputtered from her mouth. "It's like a jinx, the opposite of what you say will happen... Every... Single... Time," oh man now her jacket was wet.

"I wanna see the ship!" Luffy declared, shaking his head like a dog drying it's fur. Water sprinkled over anyone within a three feet radius. Nami pointed at the wrecked boat that was sinking into the depths of the sea.

"You can't, because it's in the ocean and you can't swim," Nami sounded frustrated beyond words. Robin walked over to the raging red head and pat her shoulder.

"Why don't we try a deep dive expedition?" robin suggested, "It would allow us some insight as to how this boat managed to fall from the sky. As well as satisfy Mr captain's need for adventure," the woman persuaded. Nami rubbed her temple tiredly.

"There might also be hidden treasure," Robin smiled enigmatically. Nami's eyes switched to a golden simmer.

"Alright let's check it out," she declared, her hands clapping together with a devilish grin.

So here the crew was, with three barrels with glass windows installed (thanks to Usopp and his brilliant ability to make stuff), the barrels were hooked up to long tubes that nobody had any idea was on the ship. The whole invention was insanely simple yet complex. It's pretty much the nautilus man but made of barrels.

Tani came running out of her room in her bathers, swim shorts and scorkel. She didn't care what the others said, she's going swimming and they can't stop her. The crew decided that Luffy, Zoro and Sanji would be the ones going on this adventure. So the three of them suited up and looked... They looked ridiculous.

"How are you guys gonna move in those things?" Tani asked while tying her hair back. Luffy let out a gasp.

"You have a second eye?!" he pointed with surprise at the now revealed left eye of the girl. She gave him a look telling him that he was a moron.

"What do you mean I have a second eye?! Everyone has two eyes! Unless you cut it out or something," she replied. Luffy pointed at Sanji.

"Do you have two eyes?" the captain asked. Sanji kicked Luffy over, the poor boy rolled around helplessly like a turtle in its back.

"Of course I have a second eye," Sanji snapped. Zoro just laughed at the whole situation.

"Alright shut up you lot!" Nami said with a commanding tone. "Tani since you aren't connected to these tubes, we won't have any way to communicate with you," she said pointing at the tubing connecting to the tops of the barrels the boys were wearing. Tani gave a nod.

"Don't worry, I've got these guys here to keep me safe," Tani pointed at the three men. They gathered on the side of the boat, not quite sure how to dive in with the barrel on. Tani gave a wide grin, walked to one side of the boat, then bolted to the other side. Leaping high into the air with a "YAHOO!" she straightened herself out into the pin drop position and splashed into the water.

It didn't take the others long to join her. Tani forgot she'd been holding her breath, time to check out this scorkel device! She moved the peach coloured device to her mouth, opening her maw and chomping down on the soft sphere as instructed by the clerk. The soft material moulded around her teeth, then that watery feeling left her mouth and fresh air filtered through. It was weird and would take some time to get used to, but she could breath! This was so cool.

She turned to see Zoro and Sanji giving her quizzical looks, Luffy on the other hand looked amazed. The barrels on the boys made it easier for them to start sinking down, Tani had no weights on her so she would need to hold onto one of the boys, or swim herself which would be tiring. Tani swam to the closest barrel (which happened to be Luffy) and held onto one of his gloves arms, the group of divers sank down slowly.

It came as no surprise that a sea monster would be there, but coming face to face with a giant octopus was not what Tani wanted to encounter. Luffy couldn't do anything stretchy because of the barrel suit and ocean water. Sanji was already tangled up in one of the octopuses massive tentacles. His legs struggling to kick away as it curled around his entire body, it almost yanked him out of the barrel. Had it not been for Zoro and his quick thinking (and swords) that they managed to down the octopuses limb count from eight to zero.

Tani could see that Luffy was talking but couldn't hear him so she just continued holding his arm until they made it to the wreckage. It looks so cool! Way cooler than the rusty, algae covered boats from her time. She let go of Luffy and swam towards a spot that caught her attention.

She swam freely in the ocean, she'd really missed this. You'd think that being surrounded by ocean would let you swim it it often? but you'd be wrong. Most of the straw hats time was spent on islands and running away from marines.

The spot that Tani swam to looked like the broken off room of someone important, maybe it was the captain? She didn't really know but that was her best guess.

She kicked herself forward, floating towards a set of drawers. She pulled them open and found nothing but papers, now too soaked to be of any use. The drawer above only held a small box of bottle caps... All of them looked like familiar brands? Coke, Pepsi, fanta, Dr Pepper? But that can't be right. This boat looks far too old to be from this time era.

The shimmering of bronze caught her eye. She turned her head away from the drawer, only to let out a flurry of bubbled screams. There before her was the skeletal remains of a man? Woman? Who knows, everyone looks the same as a skeleton. The coat and clothes were rotten and tattered. Styled in a way that looked like a classic pirate from her world. Though it wasn't the clothes that caught her attention.

It was the bell attached to the neck.

It had a similar shape to the one Tani arrived with, only her bell is golden, rather than the rusty bronze of this bell. She removed the barely intact string from the skeletal remains of the 'captain', looped it around her own neck and explored the room a bit more.

A shadowy form swam by one of the broken glass windows of the room. Tani's senses raise to high alert, she didn't want to take on a sea king on her own. Hopefully she could apply all those shark defence techniques she'd learned from the movies... Hopefully.

What she didn't expect to see however, was a man? Looked like a man, in a black full body swimsuit. The guy was attaching hooks into the sides of the room, giving a tug to the last one. He hadn't noticed her yet, so she decided to try and very sneakily swim away, if he was hostile towards her then she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle him.

A current formed, the room she was still within was being lifted from the sea floor. The water around the room pulled her towards the brittle flooring of the detached room. She couldn't move, her stomach was plastered to the ground as she was lifted with the room.

"Shit," Tani panicked in her thoughts, she couldn't call for help nor make a signal to the others. Simply put, she was stuck.

Well she was until the line cut.

What Tani wasn't aware of as she panicked in her mind was the shadowy figure of Zoro, who came zooming from the side and slicing the lines of the machine hauling the room up. Tani didn't snap back to reality until Zoro looped an arm around her stunned self and dragged her away before the shadow man realised what had happened.

Zoro was talking, but Tani couldn't read lips very well. Though she did read a couple choice curses. He dragged her over to a small room with an air pocket in it. Luffy and Sanji were already there, their suits removed. Tani and Zoro surfaced, Zoro instantly threw the large barrel off himself with a huff. Tani removed the scorkel and massaged her jaw, that would hurt for a bit.

"Tani check out this cool loot we've found!" Luffy cheered while shoving a bunch of random items into the girls hands. Broken tea cups to rotten wood stools, the boys had collected many items that wouldn't really be of monetary value (unfortunate news for Nami) but they were interesting treasures non the less. Tani held out her find, the little bell giving an uncanny jingle as she shook it. The boys all looked at her with somewhat confused expressions.

"Is that one of your bells?" Sanji asked curiously while pointing at the slightly rusted bell. Tani shook her head.

"I found this in one of the broken off parts of the ship, it was attached to someones neck," she pointed at her neck with demonstration. Luffy grabbed the bell from Tani's hand and shook it rapidly next to his ear, loud and clear for Tani. "I don't get it, does that mean that these bells are just common place? I know Trip has one but she only knows of one other person to have this... Power?" Tani pointed at herself in thought. Does that mean she's not as special as she initially thought? That thought made her feel an ugly pit form in her stomach.

The outside of the room creaked and groaned, shaking as something or someone made contact with the outside. The group glared at the only opening with a range of concerned or battle ready expressions.

"Can we discuss this later?" Zoro grunted, one of his swords already slipping into his grip. "We've got company," he said with narrowed eyes.

Before Tani could question it, three shadow figures jumped from the ocean depths, followed by a large monkey looking man that was at least double the girls height. She didn't expect a fight so here she was, weaponless and barely clothed... Great.

Luffy burst into laughter at the sight of the monkey, deciding that instead of fighting he would just have a pleasant conversation with the monkey man. Who wasn't the brightest bulb of the bunch and kinda just rolled with the conversation while Zoro and Sanji silently watched on in confusion. Tani just shook her head.

Classic Luffy.

The room once again gave a shake, this time followed by the bellowing groan of something big, that vibrated the small box they were enclosed in.

There are always bigger fish in the sea. A classic proverb meaning that there's always going to be someone better than yourself... Or in this case there was literally a bigger fish in the sea.

A massive gaping jaw latched onto the small section of the boat that the straw hat group and monkey men were present. Water filled the room as teeth punctured holes in the walls, floor and roof of the safe haven.

"Shit the place is gonna flood," Sanji spat, already looking for some form of an exit. Zoro was securing his swords tightly to his waist, a tense look on his face. Luffy had jumped onto a table with concern pasted on his features.

"We gotta dive now," Zoro commanded. Ducking his head under the salty waves, Sanji was quick to follow behind the first mate. Luffy made eye contact with Tani, who wadded her way over to the nervous captain.

Tani did what she normally did (at this point she might as well be Luffy's designated swimmer). Looping the boys arms around her neck, she attempted to swim out of the creatures mouth. Large, jagged teeth surrounded her in rows of five. Just needed to pass them and they would be out scot free.

Luffy's hold on her tightened, when she turned to face him she found his cheeks swelling as his hold on his breath dwindled. He mustn't have gotten enough air before the water got to him! What was Tani going to do? She still had three rows of teeth to clear before they were out. She inhaled through her... The scorkel!

She plucked the breathing device from her mouth and shoved it into Luffy's, holding her breath as she swam faster to get the hell out of here.

Two rows left...

One row left...

They're out! Nothing but the oceans deep blue surrounded the pair. Tani slowly breathed out some bubbles to watch what way the floated. When the danced upwards, she followed shortly after. Her lungs begging at her for the precious oxygen that she needed so desperately... At least Luffy is holding up.

The waters surface broke, Tani inhaled the fresh air. She couldn't see Zoro, Sanji or that Monkey guy anywhere. At the time though she only really needed to worry about the giant turtle that just ate that whole ship wreck.

"Luffy! Tani over here!" Nami shouted from their left, waving her arms to draw their attention. Tani free-styled over to the rope ladder that Usopp and Chopper dropped for them. Throwing Luffy into Usopp before she too climbed the ladder... Well attempted to climb the ladder. A large black clad hand wrapped around her ankle and dragged her back into the water. The surprise meant she didn't have enough time to breath in before her lungs filled with salt water.

She kicked and flailed in the water with panic, she was so close and now she was going to drown! She could fill the hand of god already grabbing the nape of her neck and dragging her to heaven... No seriously she was being dragged in a direction away from the guy that dragged her here in the first place.

The utter whiplash Tani received from being thrown out of the water and back onto the Merry's deck left her dazed and confused. A ring of her nakama surrounded her, though she couldn't make out who was who because everything was blurry. Though she could make out Chopper's frantic cries of "Call the doctor!".

When Tani's brain finally decided to play catch up, she registered that she needed to cough up all the water she breathed in. So she did just that, all the water sprayed into the air and splattered on the ground around her... As well as Usopp's face (who proceeded to whine about it).

"Welcome back Miss bell," Robin smiled sweetly, offering a hand or dozen to help Tani off the ground.

Tani ended up being tugged towards the infirmary (well the storage room that Chopper used to patch up everyone) and proceeded to do a once over on Tani, ignoring the conflict from outside.

Zoro had gone back for the treasure they found in the wreck because "Luffy would have been upset if we didn't get something from the adventure," Nami was excited to see the treasure, only to realise it was all garbage. Zoro walked away from that conversation with a red cheek.

Sanji on the other hand, ended up being thrown by a current of sorts and landed on the Monkey crews boat. Where they all proceeded to attack him, with no success because it's Sanji. He kicked at least half the crews ass before noticing the Merry approach, he kicked off the enemy ship and sailed through the air. Landing on the Merry's deck with perfect posture.

The day only got weirder, as the sky darkened. Tani walked onto deck with Chopper, the little reindeer grew nervous and held onto Tani's open hand. The pair walked over to Nami.

"What's up with the weather?" Tani asked drowsily, still tired from the excitement of the day. The navigator sighed, turning to look at them.

"I don't know, there was no warning signs for a weather change that I could predict," she sounded stumped. Tani pat her on the back with sympathy. "Wait a minute... What is that!" Nami shrieked, pointing towards three massive figures that loomed ominously in the distance. "Guys, positions! We need to move, right now!" Nami commanded, everyone ran around.

Pulling sails, directing the rutter, tying loose knots. Before they knew it, the crew was out of the darkness and under the bright sunny sky. The crew silently glanced at each other, all of them thinking the same thing.

"What the hell was that all about!" Usopp broke the silence, asking what they were all trying to answer.

"Do you think anybody here knows what the hell that was?" Nami replied, rubbing her temple soothingly. "Now we're stuck here! The log won't set back to whatever island we were going towards before the stupid thing started pointing at the sky," Nami ranted. Honestly she just wanted to find land again and hopefully forget this sky islands thing ever happened.

"Miss navigator, I do believe you'd be happy to see this then," Robin chimed, tossing something at the red head. Nami clapped her hands around the small hour glass like item. It was an eternal pose! Nami looked like she was about to cry with happiness.

"Robin I could kiss you right now!" Nami squealed happily. Her face shifted back to serious as she began setting course for the island of Jaya.

...

Tani was flipping through her photos, deciding which ones she wanted to put up over her side of the women's sleeping quarters. She really liked all of them, even her mystery photos. Picking the best four, she hung them up over her wall and left the rest in the envelope to be stored away for later.

The room was starting to feel more and more like home every time she visited, from the smell of mandarins that Nami brought in, to the now stocked up shelf of books that Robin brought with her. The place felt lived in, and honestly Tani never wanted to leave. Though that was nothing more than a selfish wish, she had someone to get home to.

A loud crash from on deck caused the girl to be removed from her thoughts. She jumped to her feet and speed walked towards the sound of the crash, finding a tangled up Luffy. Tani gave a small chuckle before helping the tangled boy out of the rope prison he made.

"Nami my love!" Sanji's voice cooed, the navigator in question was resting beside her mandarin trees. Sanji twirled around, handing her one of three drinks from the tray in his hand. Nami thanked him with her picture perfect smile.

"Robin my sweet!" Sanji spun towards the older woman, she was sitting on a chair reading some book about a rainbow mist that seemed pretty interesting. The cook handed her the second drink on the tray, showering the newest crew member with love and affection as per usual for Sanji. She thanked him politely before turning back to her book.

"Tani my dearest!" he called out to the girl, she'd just finished freeing Luffy from the ropes before Sanji handed her the largest of the drinks. It was pretty wide with a lot of fresh fruits decorating the creamy top. She gave him a thumbs up and a thank you before her gave her a grin and walked back into the kitchen. Probably to prepare for dinner in a couple hours.

Tani took the spoon that was in the drink and slowly made her way through the top. She could feel eyes burning into the side of her head, turning her eyes she of course found Luffy staring at her with hungry eyes... Oh right it's Luffy.

"Do you want some?" she offered, Luffy wasted no time before grabbing the spoon from her hand and shoving it in his mouth. Now she needed a new spoon... "Uh, you can have the rest then," she said, honestly not really in the mood to get up now that she was sitting on the deck. Luffy gave her a confused look.

"You sure? I thought you liked all this fruit stuff?" Luffy stated, shoving the spoon in his mouth. Tani stared at the spoons handle that hung out of his mouth.

"I can't be bothered grabbing a new spoon," she said truthfully. Luffy pulled the spoon out of his mouth and waved it around.

"Just use this one then," he said like she was being dumb. She could already feel her cheeks heating up.

"But you've had it in your mouth, and sharing cutlery is gross," Tani explained simply. Didn't Luffy know anything about germs and stuff?

"You had it in your mouth before, so it doesn't matter," he replied, digging the spoon into the cream and holding it out for Tani to take. She leaned away, this is something a couple would do!

"No thank you," she squeaked. Luffy pouted before shoving the spoon closer. Why was he so persistent to make her eat it?! "I'll just ask Sanji for another drink, you can finish that one," Tani stated. Luffy groaned.

"You're always sharing your food," Luffy commented, Tani turned to face him at that. "So why is this different?" he asked curiously.

"It just is," she replied shyly, Luffy pulled a face that screamed 'what does that even mean?' so Tani let out a sigh and explained.

"Sharing cutlery is something that married couples or boyfriend and girlfriends do, so it's weird to do it. It's because of all the spit and stuff that's shared on the spoon, it's kinda like kissing and you don't do that unless you're in love," she stated factually. Though this is only stuff she'd seen in the movies, Tani wasn't very informed on the arts of relationships. Luffy huffed at her.

"That's stupid, I don't care about spit or anything so why should you?" he said. Tani blinked at him, of course he wasn't paying attention to the romantic implications of the action. "Plus we've shared spit before, like with that breathing thingy you had," he pointed out. Tani looked at him stupidly... He had a point.

"Uh... Well that was uh.. Well you see that doesn't count because you were going to drown," she countered. Why were they arguing over sharing a drink? Why was Luffy trying so hard to share it with her.

"See! So can you just share this with me before it melts?" Luffy asked with that signature grin, holding the spoon out. Tani finally caved in, taking the spoon and shoving the contents in her mouth. Why bother fighting Luffy when he was always going to win.

In the distance the pair failed to notice the rest of the crew watching them with humorous grins.

...

"So how long until we make it to Jaya?" Usopp asked Nami from his fishing spot. Chopper and Luffy were fishing with him, hoping to grab something to go along with dinner. Nami licked her finger and held it in the air, letting out a satisfied hum she replied with "We'll be there by tomorrow afternoon,".

Tani sat in her usual spot on deck, next to the figure head. In her hand was the bell she found on the sunken ship, her other had a bell of her own. She shook them one at a time. The older bell sounded melancholic and weak, while her bell was lively and full of energy. From what she'd gathered, the bells were almost the same when it came to design, only the colours were off. Who did it belong to? How long have people like her been around for? Was she even special?

"You seem to be lost in thought miss bell, mind telling me what's on your mind?" Robin's soothing voice inquired. Tani looked up at her with a nod. The woman sat beside her gracefully, leaning in her hands with waiting eyes.

"So I found this bell on the ship wreck," Tani handed the bell to Robin. She shook the bell and was surprised by its silence. "It's a special bell that only I can hear, but that's what's got me so curious. It's not one of my bells," Tani then handed her bell over to Robin. The woman looked between the two and Tani could already see the questions on her mind. But first!

"Actually I needed to give you one," Tani stated, Robin gave a curious blink. The younger girl pointed at the bell in Robin's hand. "A bell so I can find you if we ever get split up," she grinned. She'd need to ask Usopp for more string.

"That would be lovely," Robin stated serenely. Her gaze moved back to the bells with examining eyes. Something felt so familiar about them. "You say these are special bells, correct?" she asked. Tani nodded with affirmation. Robin studied the bells, maybe she'd seen them in a book once? Another mystery she had to uncover. How exciting.

"Would you prefer a necklace or bracelet?" Tani asked, pulling herself off the ground to grab Usopp.

"A necklace would be lovely," Robin responded, turning back to the bells in her hands, "Would you mind if I held onto these?" she inquired.

"Oh yeah that's fine, if you figure anything out please tell me. Any information that gets me closer to home would be amazing," Tani grinned. Her whole face lighting up in a way that made Robin melt in its radiance. This crew really was a beacon of joy wasn't it?

Tani walked over to Usopp, leaning against his shoulders. "Can I have some string for Robins bell?" she asked. Usopp nodded, too busy concentrating on his fishing to really pay attention to her. She fished the string out of his bag, her fingers gracing past the gem cluster Luffy had discovered all the way in Alabasta... Wonder what Usopp is gonna do with it.

String in hand, Tani began cutting, sliding and tying the necklace into existence. Before long she was slipping the item onto Robins neck and heading towards the back of the ship for some training with Zoro.

There she found Zoro swinging around a ridiculously large amount of weights, while Chopper was sitting close by when some plants out to dry.

"Hey Zoro, mind if we train together?" Tani asked, already slipping off her windbreaker. The swordsman gave a smirk before dropping the weights.

"Sure, but no hell shoes allowed," he clarified. Tani gave a snicker.

"Why not? Four sword style too much for you to handle?" she joked, Zoro growled at her with a throaty noise that sounded almost inhuman. Tani ignored it, because it's Zoro of course he's gonna be an animal about this.

"Do you want me to train you or not?" he huffed, Tani nodded. Zoro continued, "Your hand to hand combat is lacking, so we can work on that for now," he stated, removing his sheathed swords from his waist and placing them against the railing with the amount of care a mother would with her new born baby.

"Alright, show me how you hold your fists," Zoro instructed. Tani balled her fists and showed Zoro. He gave a hum of approval. Thank you action movies!

"Now show me your starting stance," he moved on. Tani took a stance, though she felt super awkward doing so. Zoro shook his head, he stood beside her and stood in a stance. "Like this," he waited for her to copy him. Calling out a "Legs apart," or "Shoulders down," until he was satisfied with her positioning.

"Now we'll practice your defense, you held out for a while when Luffy was being a complete moron. But there's always room to improve," he sounded like a mentor, who would have thought Zoro would be the caring type... Actually no we can all totally believe that Zoro would be the caring type. His big brother energy is off the charts.

"I'll throw some punches and you need to deflect or counter them," he was patient with his instructions. Tani readied herself for the first hit. In a typical straw hat fashion, Zoro didn't hold back. Tani could already feel her forearms stinging, and though she didn't land a single hit on the guy. He was visibly proud of her progress, even giving her hair a ruffle when they had to finish up for dinner.

Dinner as always was a chaotic event. Luffy's limbs tangled with everyone else's, food was snatched, drinks were spilt, Chopper started choking on his food again, it was a riot of straw hat crew proportions. Tani didn't miss when Luffy would 'accidently' drop food pieces on her plate. She just smiled and continued eating whatever showed up on her plate, Sanji's cooking never failing to amaze her.

Tani had to take Zoro's shift for washing the dishes after dinner, much to Sanji's protests. He didn't believe her when she said she enjoyed washing dishes.

"A lady as dear as you, shouldn't be washing so many dishes," Sanji protested. Tani gave him an eye roll and continued scrubbing away at the many plates that Luffy had accumulated. Sanji let out a sigh of defeat, at least he had a lovely womans company rather than that brute of a swords man.

"... So why are you so against women in the kitchen? Back home it's almost expected that the woman of that house does all the cooking and cleaning," Tani asked curiously. That was something about Sanji that always seemed to make her curious. The blonde chef thought for a moment before letting out a hearty sigh.

"It's a man's duty to protect and care for the women in their lives, so many of them are fragile..." Sanji stated solemnly, something about his demeanor changed. Like old memories better left unsaid. Tani needed to lighten the mood.

"Well there are plenty of women that can hold their own here. Just look at Nami and Robin, Nami has saved our lives more times than I can count, and Robin has that cool arm devil fruit!" Tani hyped up her crew with no doubt in her thoughts. Sanji sighed while taking the clean dish from Tani to dry it.

"I don't know, it's like I can't bring myself to bring harm to such delicate looking beauties," he stated bluntly. Tani let out a sigh of defeat. No point in changing his fundamental values... Well it'll take time but what can you do.

"If it makes you feel better, I appreciate everything you do for me. Being so weak in a world I have known for less than a year is really scary. It's nice to know that I'm always being cared for," she smiled. A rosy red tint crossed the sheepish man's face as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh Tani my dear you're too kind!" his arms were waving around as he cooed and swooned over her declaration. That's the Sanji she knows. She flicked some of the dirty soap water at him, which resulted in an all out water fight. Both of them were wet by the end of the playful fight, but happy none the less.

Tani decided to get changed for her night watch with Usopp. The sniper had something he wanted to show her so that was exciting. When Tani entered the women's quarters, a wave of strong perfume smacked her right in the face. She chocked on her breath, holding her nose as her eyes watered from the strength. Nami could be heard coughing in the room as well.

"Tani?" cough cough, "Tani is that you? I need some help moving my maps before the smell sticks to them," Nami chocked out, throwing a stack of pages at the girl. Tani caught them (barely) and proceeded to run them out of the room while Nami brought out more and more stacks.

Once the room was cleared and both girls were out of breath, Nami smiled with relief and thanked Tani for her help.

"You have no idea how much these maps will be worth once I'm done with them," Nami sighed wishfully. Her cocoa brown eyes glimmering in the candle light. "I'll be rolling in berri,". Tani snickered.

"You sure love your money, no wonder your so good with the budgeting. How you manage to swindle so much meat for the captain is insane!" Tani praised. Nami rested her elbow on the dark skinned girls shoulder.

"I'll tell you a secret, lady to lady," the red head smirked, leaning in. "It's all in the presentation," she informed. Presentation? Tani then looked at the way Nami held herself, chest very prominent, hips slightly tilted up, her face was naturally beautiful with her scattered freckles and bright red hair. She was the perfect woman! "You should try it, men fall head over heels for a lady showing a bit of skin," she winked. Such a sneaky girl, but that's Nami for ya. Wouldn't have her any other way.

"Weakness huh?" Tani pondered for a second. She knew the Nami technique worked on most men, hell it worked on most of the crew. Though one figure stuck out to the girl. "What do you think Luffy's weakness would be?" Tani pondered aloud. Nami snickered.

"Food, literally anything food related and you're all set for manipulating that sucker." she grinned with her Cheshire smile. Tani nodded. "Why you'd ask?" Nami said with a hint of amusement. What she found funny, Tani wasn't quite sure.

"Oh because when you flashed everyone back in Alabasta, Luffy was the only one that didn't have some kind of reaction to it." Tani pointed out. Nami hummed at that, she wasn't paying much attention back then. "Well thank you for the advice," Tani thanked the navigator.

"No problem, and thanks for helping with the maps," Nami replied. Grabbing her maps and moving them somewhere more safe. Tani split away and walked back into the perfume drenched room. It was the strong stuff that Nami got as a gift from Vivi. Tani covered her nose and grabbed the closest jacket she could and ran.

She climbed her way up to the top of the crows nest, she had to keep her eyes on the mast. Focus on something that isn't the height she was climbing to.

"Pwah what is that smell?!" Usopp covered his long nose as Tani climbed over the rim of the nest. Tani rolled her eyes. What a greeting.

"Nami accidentally knocked over that really strong perfume she got from Alabasta and it spilled everywhere," Tani explained. Sitting beside Usopp with a thunk. The long nosed man huffed at her.

"The enemy will smell you a mile away!" he teased, nudging her with his elbow. She snickered and nudged back. The pair falling into a comfortable silence.

"Oh I almost forgot," Usopp clicked his fingers and turned to dig through his bag. Tani peeked over his shoulder and found him pulling out two round orbs with brown string and bells attached to them. "Tadaa! Say hello your Usopp exclusive yo-yo special!" he presented the weapons to Tani, her eyes aglow as she stared at the ocean green yo-yo's. She now recognized the material as the cluster of gems she'd found with Luffy. How did he make these so fast?!

"They're beautiful! Thank you Usopp!" Tani squealed happily, throwing herself at Usopp for a big hug. The sniper stammered but regained his cool and began explaining the general gist of the newly acquired weapons.

"The gem stone was a tough kind that I've never seen before, it works much better as a weapon than as some boring old jewellery. These yo-yo's will hit much harder, move faster and look way cooler than your old ones," he gloated and praised his work. Tani didn't blame him, they looked amazing!

"Thank you so much Usopp! How can I repay you?" Tani couldn't just let him give her something and not have her return the favour! She messed around with the new yo-yo's, trying to get a feel for them. They were slightly heavier, but the smoothness of the material made them fly swiftly through the air. God, Usopp was talented. The sniper gave a snicker.

"More of those chips you keep bringing, I want the biggest bag you can find," he requested. Tani winked at him and continued messing around with the yo-yo's.

...

A small sniffle brought Tani's attention away from her post, Usopp was taking a small nap so she had to remain as vigilant as possible. Tani leaned over the crows nest to find a big pink hat on the main deck. What was Chopper doing up so late at night? Tani decided to check on him.

"Hey Chopper?" she said while climbing down the ladder, startling the little reindeer.

"Ta-Tani? Oh it's you," he sighed with relief. Tani bobbed down to his height, eyes full of concern.

"Is everything alright? You look like you've been crying," she asked with concern. The doctors eyes were red and the tears that stained his fur being a dead give away. He pulled his hat over his head.

"I'm just fine, don't worry about me you jerk," he did a little dance which removed all malice the words would have had. Tani snickered.

"Well if you need any company, you can come up with me for the rest of my watch. Usopp is sleeping and it's super boring," she suggested. Chopper gave a nod, so Tani lowered herself so Chopper could climb onto her shoulders. She climbed up, keeping her mind on the sniffling deer on her shoulders.

She sat herself back down beside Usopp, who was snoring softly. Tani lowered Chopper into her lap and lazily looped her arms around the deer and rested her head on top his hat. God he was warm.

Usopp unconsciously leaned towards the source of heat, that being Tani and Chopper. His head found its way onto her shoulder, his hair frizzled and mixed with her smoother dark brown locks. His arm clinged around Chopper and Tani like a seatbelt. Tani sighed with content.

"Tani?" Chopper's voice was weak and tired. Tani hummed back. "You'd be my friend even if Luffy didn't ask me to join the crew right?" he asked with a hiccup. Tani blinked in shock at such a surprising question.

"Of course I would, we all love you Chopper," she said with conviction. Her arms clinging tighter around the little doctors waist. "You're our nakama, we'd never give you up," she smothered her cheek into his hat. Chopper grinned, his hooves gripping his hats rim and shoving it over his head.

"Thanks," he said with a yawn. Tani chuckled.

"You should sleep, I'll keep watch." she stated, but Chopper was already drifting off to sleep.

Tani looked out at the sea. Her eyes felt just as heavy, maybe she could... Close them... Just for a little bit...

She drifted to sleep wrapped in the warmth of her nakama.


	21. Chapter 21

"Nami! I see it!" Tani cheered from the crows nest. It was a sunny, early afternoon, the wind was warm and the clouds were lacking. Tani had a packet or gummy bears beside her, surprised that Luffy hadn't noticed the snack. An island had just come into view, just the place they all wanted to find.

Jaya

Nami let out an excited whoop of joy, happy to finally have land in sight. It only took the Merry an hour or so to make it into the dock of the small town. A place called Mock town if the massive sign was an indication of the communities name. Luffy wanted to explore the town before they'd even landed, rocketing himself onto the dock with the widest grin Tani had seen in ages. Nami was already tired of his shenanigans and decided to appoint Tani to Luffy duty, while Zoro had to tag along for moral support.

"Oh and before you guys run off," Nami started. All eyes on her, her gaze hardened. "No starting fights, I mean it. We don't want to start trouble," she said with dead seriousness. "Sanji, Usopp and I will be gathering supplies, Chopper and Robin are on ship watch." Nami declared. Robin gave her that signature smile.

"Perhaps Mr doctor and I could sort through all the treasure that Mr swordsman brought back," she suggested. Nami clapped her hands together and nodded.

"Wonderful idea Robin, Chopper knows where the treasure is stored so just ask him to put any of it away," Nami stated. Luffy was bouncing on his feet, ready to make a run for it once Nami gave the word. "Well, aren't you gonna go explore? You have until sundown," she declared. Luffy was bolting before the final word left her mouth. Tani looked at Zoro with a sigh, the man huffed and started wandering in the opposite direction of Luffy.

Boy, Tani sure had her work cut out for her today...

...

The trio had been walking through the streets for about twenty minutes before the first sounds of conflict hit their collective ears. Understandably so, as this was was a lawless town. Tani already had her hands in her pockets, new strings attached to her pointer fingers perfectly. The sound of a gun shot rings through the air, she freezes for a moment. The air around the town goes static before everything resumes as usual.

Luffy can see the discomfort on his nakama's face, so he loops his arm through hers. She instantly calms down, embracing the contact with a relaxes smile.

"Hey I wanna look in that place," Luffy grins, pointing at the entrance to what looked like a hotel or inn? Tani doesn't know the difference. Zoro and Tani followed him. They pushed open the doors to find a rather dodgy looking place. Smoke filled air, cut throat pirates roaming the main lobby, there was blood on the wooden floor... Swell.

Luffy trotted around while Tani hung back to watch from afar, Zoro stood beside her. The pair know that Luffy can hold his own in a fight so there's no point in guarding him. Luffy looked excited, pointing at everything that peaked his interest and just acting like his Luffy self.

The door beside Tani and Zoro opened, all sound from the room suddenly vanished (excluding Luffy and his excited exclamations of "Oh what's this?"). The mood soured and the atmosphere grew thick as lard. Tani's throat tightened as she watched some man with bluey white hair and purple science goggles (you know the kind schools make you wear before you do an experiment) and this white pimp coat that wouldn't have looked out of place on Crocodile.

People's gazes avoided this new man and his entourage, he clearly held power here. So when Luffy didn't stop to acknowledge this guy, well he wasn't very pleased.

"What kind of low life pond scum has the ocean washed up here?" he said with a snort. Luffy paused in his excited ramblings and stared dumbly at the guy. Promptly ignoring the guy and turning back to Tani and Zoro, pointing a thumb in the guys direction.

"Who's this guy?" Luffy asked. The guy beside him clenched his teeth together with annoyance.

"You low lives aren't even worth my time," the man spat, pulling out a couple golden coins and tossing them on the floor. "Here, get yourselves some better clothes you useless filth," he snickered to himself before walking away. Two women draped over his shoulders as they passed the trio.

Tani grabbed the coins for Nami, no point in leaving them behind. Luffy and Zoro exited the premises, before Tani could leave the room she heard the 'lowlife' guy call out to her.

"You know," he started, Tani already didn't like where this was going, "An exotic little thing like you shouldn't be hanging around losers like them," he smirked. The women around him giggled and leaned their heavy cleavage all over him. Tani felt her face heat up with a mix of anger and disgust.

"You're right," she smiled a forced grinned. "I shouldn't hang out with losers. That's why I'm on their crew and not yours," Tani clapped back. The coins she collected finding their way into her hands again. She tossed then at his feet and gave a charming grin. "How about you buy yourself a personality and manners. Adios," she waved with her fingers and pushed out the door. Luffy and Zoro looked at her as she stormed past and growled.

Luffy and Zoro caught up with the angered girl. The boys remained silent, knowing that if she wanted to speak she would. Tani was letting her feelings bubble under the skin before finally she burst.

"Ugh! He called me 'exotic'! Like what's that supposed to mean? Haven't seen a black girl or something? The nerve!" she ranted, her arms being thrown with every statement. Luffy frowned, his gaze turning towards a bar just up ahead.

"How about we get something to eat? That always cheers me up when I'm mad," Luffy suggested. Honestly a drink of something fizzy was definitely in order, Tani nodded. Luffy locked his arms around Zoro and Tani, dragging them to the alluring aroma of what smelt like cherry pie.

The bar itself looked cozy by pirate standards, the man running the place still had most of his teeth and both his eyes so that was relaxing for Tani.

Luffy wanted to time running to the bar and demanding food. The bartender complied and handed him the last couple of pies they still had. Apparently the large man with the long, greasy black hair beside Luffy had eaten over half their supply that day. Tani silently prayed for his crew mates.

Luffy ate just as fast as the man beside him. The pair of them reaching over each other to snag more pies from one another. Tani and Zoro looked on in disgusted interest, it was like a horrible car accident that you just couldn't look away from.

"This is the worst pie I've ever had in my life," Luffy complained, spitting pieces of the cherry pie out of his mouth.

"This is the best pie I've ever had in my life!" the man beside him said with a dumb grin, all 6 of his teeth on display.

The two looked at each other, offended by the others declaration. The pair yelled back and forth, throwing insults and generally being childish and petty. It was like watching two Luffy's interact, only one was a large man that looked like he could crush you with one belly flop.

The door to the bar opened, Tani turned her eyes to find a familiar red head walk through the door. She gave Tani and Zoro a pleased wave, walking over to them and looking at the train wreck that was going on.

"Didn't I tell you guys not to start fights?" she groaned. Massaging her temple. Zoro shrugged. The women of the crew could tell he was amused by this. Nami sighed, she marched over to the bar and clamped her fingers over one of Luffy's ears and dragged him away kicking and whining. The man at the bar looked at the small crew and gave a rather unique laugh. He dropped a couple coins on the counter and left the bar without sparing the straw hats a glance. Tani felt a chill crawl up her spine, something felt off about that guy.

"So are we gonna eat now or what?" Luffy asked. Nami and Tani thwacked him on the head.

"YOU ALREADY ATE!" The women shouted in sync. Zoro let out a snort of a laugh. Luffy sulked to himself.

"But that pie tasted bad!" he whined. Tani was taken aback by the statement.

"Luffy? You never hate food... Like ever," she was right. In the month or so that she's known him, not once has he ever hated something that he's shoved into his mouth.

"Tani, can I have one of your snacks?" Luffy asked, draping himself on her side with his hands motioning towards her bag. The girl gave a laugh and shoved at him.

Everything felt normal again.

That is until the bar doors burst open again...

The sound of chatter and laughter within the bar died out, a kin to the hotel lobby from moments ago. Tani already felt the air grow static as gazes averted the newcomers.

In walked a blonde man with a dark tan and hyena like grin, pink shirt contrasting the blue coat that hung off his shoulders. Honestly he didn't seem that special in comparison to the other pirates Tani had seen wandering around mock town. Though that smile was unnerving.

Nami huffed and turned her attention back to Tani, a new excitement glittered in her warm brown eyes.

"Oh check this out," she spoke, Tani turned her attention to the aged sheet of paper in the red heads hand. "Robin was looking through all the treasure that Zoro brought back with him and she found this in a waterproof chest. It's a map of the sky island," Nami said with barely bottled excitement.

"Does it say anything about how to get up there? Because unless there are aeroplanes, which I know isn't a thing here. We are pretty much stuck," Tani asked with a thoughtful face. Nami gave her a grin, not her regular looking one that always had some ulterior motive behind it, but a genuine one.

"I decided to start asking around, there's bound to be someone that knows about the island that's right above them," Nami stated confidently.

The pair of women walked to the bar together, ignoring the conversation that the hyena guy was having with Luffy. Nami was dead set on discovering more about the world around her, and Tani was just curious as to how the hell they were going to get into the sky.

"Excuse me sir," Nami waved the bar tender over, who had just handed Luffy a glass of juice. Which the hyena man laughed about and promptly tipped all over Luffy's head. Tani rolled her eyes, knowing Luffy could handle himself in a fight but she still felt a tinge of annoyance. Tani turned back to Nami. "I was wondering if you had any information about the sky island? The one on this map," she asked, pointing at the map in her hands.

The bar fell silent, should a pin clatter on the floor it would be as loud as an explosion. The tension from before tripled to the point of suffocation, all eyes were on Nami and the rest of the straw hat crew. The hyena man scowled, the glass that he emptied on top of Luffy's head was shattered in his grasp. What was his problem?

"The sky island?" he chuckled darkly. "Did you say the sky islands?" more laughter, growing more and more hysterical by the second. The rest of his crew started laughing with him. Zoro and Luffy moved towards the navigator, forming a loose barrier around her should this get ugly.

"Yeah? You have a problem with that?" Tani found herself spiting. She was still irritated with the unsavoury comment from earlier, so anything was bound to bug her. The tan man gave them a look that just screamed arrogant.

"Guess you losers really aren't worthy of the new era of pirates," hyena guy chuckled loudly before his face dropped into a seriously pissed off expression. The glass shards still in his balled hand, he reared back and threw his arm towards Luffy.

Luffy didn't react at all, he simply took the hit. The man decked him in the face and sent him flying into a window, which shattered upon Luffy smashing into it.

"Oi-" she shouted angrily, her weapons already spinning. Before she had the chance to do anything, Zoro grabbed her arm and shook his head. Tani looked up at him quizzically, the sound of glass sprinkling the wooden floor drew her attention to the now bleeding captain.

"Nami said... D-don't fight ba-ck," Luffy coughed, bloody cuts sprinkled his face and arms. His cheek already turned that ugly brown colour, signalling a bruise would form. Tani sighed and pocketed her yo-yo's, Nami was in total shock at the boys inaction.

"Wait Luff-" Nami began, but a single look from Luffy, shut her up really fast. This was an act of pride? Boys really could be dumb, but as a Straw hat pirate that kinda came with the branding. So here they were, four straw hats watching and waiting to get totally pummeled by these self proclaimed 'new era pirates'.

A pirate punched Zoro hard in the gut, the swordsman took it like a champion. He didn't make a sound, neither did Luffy. The two of them were kicked, punched, tossed, pushed and humiliated by the lot of them.

When wandering hands and sleazy comments were tossed at Nami and Tani, that's when the girls finally snapped. The pair of them grabbed the boys from the pirates and dragged them towards the entrance. After leaving the bar, the hyena man and a couple of his goons followed behind. Snickering and spitting at the straw hats. Tani and Nami death glared them.

"You guys are so pathetic! you couldn't even defend yourselves?" he laughed like it was the joke of the century. "Remember this, and remember it well." the man started.

"Real pirates don't hunt mythical bullshit like sky islands or one piece. Learn it now and maybe you'll be ready to actually take on the likes of me. Bellamy of the hyena pirates," Bellamy declared. OF COURSE HE WAS ON A CREW CALLED THE HYENA PIRATES! Tani almost wanted to scream with laughter. One of the goons came out from behind Bellamy and held up a wanted poster of the man.

"Our captain has a bounty of 55 million berri, you're all worth less then the dirt beneath his feet," the random guy snickered. Many joined him in praising the captain. Who revelled in their praise.

The man in white from before somehow showed his ugly mug and pointed Tani out. Bellamy and the others all turned their eyes to her. She felt her throat close up, she didn't like how this was going.

Luffy's grip on her shoulder tightened, a comfort that Tani didn't know she needed. She turned her gaze back at the pirates that looked down on her. She wasn't weak, not anymore.

The pirates sent ridicule at them for a couple more agonising moments before growing bored and turning back to the bar for some celebratory drinks. The straw hats remained frozen...

"Zehahaha, you did the right thing straw hat brat! "

A laugh drew their attention to the man from before. He was sitting on a blue cloth, drinking from a bottle of something expensive. His gaze on the younger pirates.

"One piece exists, and only the dreamers will find it," he declared before laughing again. "Those who don't put in the effort, aren't worth raising a finger at," his voice bellowed.

Nami turned away from the man and dragged Zoro with her, Tani's gaze lingered on them and for a bit longer before she too turned away. The laugh replaying in her mind.

Walking back to the Merry was awkward. Nami was annoyed with the boys, hell Tani was just as annoyed! They could have taken everyone in that bar, Luffy on his own would have been enough!

Once they made it back to the ship, Chopper went crazy on the medical attention. Luffy and Zoro weren't seen for the next hour, though the scolding they received from Chopper could be heard all over the ship. Robin pulled everyone onto the deck to share some information she gathered.

"It appears that this isn't the only side of the island with life," she started, pulling out a map of the island. She pointed towards the other side of the island. "There's a man by the name of Mont Blanc Cricket, apparently he's got information that could prove useful for our endeavours," she spoke with a relaxed tone. The crew unanimously agreed to sail the ship to the other side of the island, after all who wanted to stay in this shit show town anyway.

Nami got the ship sailing with Sanji and Usopp's help, since Chopper wanted Luffy and Zoro to rest. Usopp showed Tani how to tie a knot when pulling up the sails, so she could help out more with sail preparations. Tani decided to sit in her favourite spot on the ship. Her head phones playing some sweet sounds from home. She was so warped into her own little world that she didn't notice when Luffy sat down on the mast head, practically beside her.

The dark skinned girl closed her eyes and laid back onto the deck. Her long, wavy hair flicked out so she wouldn't accidently pull on it if she do much as moved. Her mind drifted back and forth between listening to her music and thinking back on the events of the day. Always a brilliant idea after a bit so great day now isn't it?

Her head decided to go over the events of today this time Luffy didn't have a secure hold on her. Her mind removing everyone and throwing her into the void, what would have happened if she was alone? What would that man have done? She can hold her own but this was her head and it would throw worst case scenario's at her if it wanted to.

Small green eyes staring at the shadowy figures that clouded her thoughts. Insults, attacks, mockery, the works. She'd had this dream before, many times in fact. Though not since she'd joined the straw hats... Maybe it was what that man said today? Exotic. The word felt dirty to her now. She wanted out, she wanted her nakama back! Not this negative shi-

*Poke*

Tani scrunched her nose, opening her eyes to see Luffy's stretched arm retracting back to his body. A playful grin played at the tips of Tani's smile, her negative thoughts retracted back into her brain, for use another day... Luffy smiled back at her, his arms stretching out to poke her more. She laughed and rolled to her feet, standing up to lean back on the figure head. Luffy leaned into her, back to back. The warmth radiating from one another being a comfort that Tani needed. Luffy's breathing in rhythm with her own.

"What were you dreaming bout?" Luffy asked curiously, though his tone suggested that he didn't matter if she answered or not. Tani let out a sigh, leaning further into his warmth.

"It's dumb stuff, don't worry about it," she waved off. Luffy huffed.

"Someone told me that when things make you upset, you talk about them with nakama," he stated, oh here we go again. "I'm your nakama, and you're sad. Why are you sad? Should I ask Sanji to make something to eat? Now I'm hungry," Luffy rambled. Tani snickered, her mood already lightening. Luffy considered that a victory.

"It's nothing important, just something one of the pirates said. Don't wo-"

"The one that asked you to join his crew because you're a pretty girl?" Luffy asked shamelessly. Tani chocked on the air she was breathing in, wow he was as blunt as ever! He continued. "He was weird, why would you want someone on your crew just because they're pretty? That's dumb," Luffy questioned. Tani let out a snicker.

"Well when you're a 5'4" girl with brown skin and an hour glass figure, many people tend to look at just the physical values," Tani explained. Luffy blew a raspberry at that.

"But you're way better than all that boring stuff. You can fight, and have cool magic powers, and you're really cool because you bring us all snacks and stuff," he listed. Tani felt herself grow a bit flustered at that. "The best thing about you is you're my nakama!" he said with a joy in his tone that felt completely at peace. Tani pulled her cap down over her eyes and smiled like she was seven again.

"It sure is Luffy,"

...

After a run in with yet another monkey pirate crew (how many could there possibly be?) but his annoying singing was silenced pretty quickly. The straw hat crew made it to the other side of the island, finding a deceptively large house which turned out to be a wooden cut out that covered a small cottage looking place. The crew explored the house, finding nobody inside.

"Oh hey! I haven't seen this story in ages," Sanji called out, holding a largish book that looked worn. Nakama gathered around Sanji to examine the book.

"Noland the liar?" Usopp questioned. Looks like somebody has competition for that liar role. "never heard of it," he concluded.

"It's a popular story in the North Blue, my mother would read it to me all the time when I was a kid," Sanji stated with a nostalgic smile.

Tani grabbed the book and opened to the first page. Inside was a picture per page and a couple lines of text.

"It's just like a fairy tale book, my mum would read these to me as a kid too," Tani grinned, turning her attention back to the book to read out the tale.

"In a certain country in the northern seas, there was a man named Mont Blanc Noland." Tani started, sitting on the table outside while the others crowded around her. She flipped the page.

"Noland the Explorer's stories were always grand adventures that sounded like lies. But the people of the village could never tell if they were true or not." she continued. A couple eyes drifted to Usopp, who huffed at them. The next page.

"One time, Noland went on an expedition, and came back to report to the king. "I saw a mountain of gold on an island across the great seas."," Tani put on a little voice for Noland, attempting to mimic the voice of Pinocchio from the Disney movie. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper seemed to enjoy it. Page flip.

"To see for himself, the brave king took two thousand warriors and crossed the great seas in his ship.

He fought powerful storms and huge sea monsters." she made hand actions and grand gestures. The crew all smiled with enjoyment, it felt like a show. The next page.

"Finally, the king, Noland, and one hundred soldiers landed on the island. But what they found there was nothing but jungle. Noland was sentenced to death for his lies." the big reveal had finally been played. Another page flip.

"These were his last words.

"That's it! The mountain of gold sank into the ocean!" The king and the others were shocked." Tani declared Noland's final words with a last ditch effort tone. The final page.

"Nobody believed Noland anymore, but he never stopped lying until he was dead." thus the fable had been complete. Tani clapped the book together. "Well that's not how the "don't lie" fairy tale ended where I live," Tani claimed, that was a pretty grim ending.

The sound of something breaking the surface of the ocean caused the crew to quickly drop everything and investigate. It was a hazelnut? Like a big hazel nut the size of someone's head was bobbing on the sur- no wait that's someone's hair. A man with aged features tread the shallows of the water. Looking up at the young teens and adults with a deadpan stare.

"What are you kids doing outside my house?" he sounded tired and breathless, probably from the long dive he'd done. Honestly he must have been down there for over five minutes!

"You must be Cricket then?" Robin asked, stepping forward. The man nodded, hauling himself out of the water with a pained groan. Chopper's ears stood up as he trotted towards Cricket. Letting out a worried gasp as he noticed the bruising on Cricket's ribs. Going heavy point, the reindeer doctor got straight to work, ignoring the protests Cricket made. Chopper was stubborn when it came to his practice. Cricket didn't stand a chance.

"Hey hazelnut Gramps," Luffy questioned. Cricket lifted his head with obvious annoyance in his gaze but softened at the sight of Luffy's excitement. "We wanna go to the sky island, and Robin said you know how so can you get us up there?" Luffy grinned. Cricket lessened his hardened features, a spark glittering within his eyes.

"The sky islands you say? Those old myths?" he let out a hearty laugh, one that lacked any malice. "How romantic, pursuing a dream that might only be legend?" he said with a hint of dreamy. Luffy gave a nod of affirmation.

"Well theoretically, the only way to get to the sky islands would be through the knock up stream," Cricket stated, pointing towards a spot in the ocean though when the straw hats turned to look they only saw empty space and two oddly familiar boats. Are those those monkey crews again? Oh boy.

Cricket had a grin as the ships ported beside the Going Merry. The two captain's rushing over to Crickets side with worry in their tones.

"Leader leader! Look out! Those straw hat menaces are-"

"They attacked my whole crew within minutes! They're here on your-"

"And and-"

"Calm down you lot," Cricket said, patting both their shoulders with a fatherly gentleness. "These youngsters seem just fine, leave then be," he commanded. The two monkey captain's turned to look at the straw hats with a level of concern, though one look at Luffy seemed to melt away all their fears. Captain was a natural at friend making.

"Oh leader sir," Masira (he was the one in the orange if Tani's memories served her correct) beckoned. Cricket turned to face him. "How did today's dive go? Find anything?" he asked.

"Yes yes! How was the dive? You didn't over exert yourself did you?" Shoujou asked. Cricket let out a huffed laugh. Chopper gave him a glare.

"Don't even think about moving, you hear me?" the tiny doctor puffed. Cricket sat down at the picnic table outside, noticing the book the straw hats were reading before he resurfaced. Mixed emotions washed over his features.

"Something on your mind Mr Cricket?" Robin inquired, sitting opposite him with her hands resting under her chin. He gave her a shake of the head before explaining. The crew all sat around the table to listen to his tale.

"For 24 years now, I've been diving deep into the ocean in search of the city of gold," he stated. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper all glowed with awe. "Destiny brought me to this island, and I plan on finding that city. Not to clear his name... But to fulfil my dream, no matter who laughs. There's a romance to it, don't you think?" he concluded. Tani clicked her fingers.

"How did I not connect the dots sooner! Same last name, same hazelnut thingy on your heads! You're Noland's relative," she questioned, pointing at Cricket.

"Kids right, the blasted man caused nothing but trouble for the whole family bloodline after that stunt he pulled," Cricket said with an undertone of annoyance. "Everyone of us got called liars, so we all left. Searching for the city of gold, but never succeeding," he sighed.

Luffy was balancing on his feet atop the table, clearly done with this conversation. When the speaking stopped, he interjected.

"So how do we get up there?" he asked. Cricket gave a chuckle.

"Really going through with it aren't ya? Well you're going to need a south bird first, they're head only points south," he explained. "That's the direction you'll be wanting to go, and thanks to compasses being useless in this god damn sea. That's the only way to guarantee you'll go in the right direction,"

"So find the bird, find the sky islands!" Luffy affirmed with a fist to the palm. Cricket nodded with a smile. He pointed towards the dense forest just behind them.

"You'll find them in there, good luck. The buggers are a pain to catch," he wished them good luck. Before they made to leave, Nami and Usopp asked a couple more questions.

"How much will this cost us?" Nami asked with suspicion. Cricket shook a hand at her.

"Not a berri, just the romance of this adventure is enough for this man," he answered.

"What are you going to do to Merry?" Usopp asked defensively. Cricket pointed to the monkey duo and their crews already working on the Merry.

"Just a couple of add one that can be removed later, you'll need them to ride the knock up stream," he answered clearly. Usopp nodded, a nervous glance at Merry.

"Come on! Let's find that bird!" Luffy demanded. Everyone called back in affirmation. The hunt for the bird began!

...

The forest was dark and dense, with night falling swiftly and the thick foliage that blocked any and all trickles of sunlight. The atmosphere just screamed horror flick final act. The calls of creatures echoing and droning, it sent a shiver up Tani's spine.

"Kyoooo~"

"That's the call," Robin said matter-of-factly. Luffy gripped the bug net in his hand with a big grin. Sanji and Zoro also had nets, there were only three that could be found at Cricket's home.

"We only have three nets, so let's split up." Sanji stated. Zoro gave a nod, agreeing with Sanji for once! An achievement in human evolution.

Luffy was already sprinting off to who knows where with Chopper by his side, Sanji was wandering away from Zoro with Nami and Usopp clinging to him. So that left Tani with Robin and Zoro, not that she minded. Robin was probably the one who would catch the bird, being so level headed… and her arms fruit would be really helpful.

"This is so creepy," Tani mumbled, her hands in her pockets in case she had to protect herself from enemies. Robin and Zoro weren't exactly the most talkative people on the crew, so Tani had to fill in the silent air. Even if it was just to comfort herself.

"Maybe the forest is full of bugs the size of a house, the kind that could eat us in one bite." Robin said as an off hand comment. Tani wanted to throttle her for planting such an idea! She turned to tell her off, only to notice a giant shadow slinking about in behind the party.

"Oh my god!" she shrieked, whipping her yo-yo's out and attacking the creature. Zoro took hold of the situation, whipping out his sword and slicing the bug in two. He picked up the limp beast and looked at it with a grossed out expression.

"A giant centipede?" he said holding its leg up. Robin looked at it with a hint of sympathy.

"That's rude, what did it ever do to you," she said lazily. Tani pointed at it and bounced on her feet.

"It's a giant bug! It was gonna eat me!" she said with a squirm. She didn't hate bugs, some looked really cool. She just didn't want them near her. Plus Robin's comment from earlier put her on edge.

"AHHHHHHHHH"

The hair on the back of Tani's neck stood up. That sounded like the mixed shrieks of Nami and Sanji? Usopp has a very feminine scream so it must have been Sanji… Where's Usopp?

"Well that sounded unfortunate," Robin said with a hint of humour. Not that Tani found her form of humour particularly funny.

"Kyuuuuu Kyuu~"

"There it is," The older woman declared, turning on her heel and speeding towards the sound of the south birds call. "Be careful of quicksand," she commented off handedly. Zoro didn't pay attention and decided to charge after her.

The swordsman found himself quickly sinking in the deep muddy forest version of quick sand. His entire lower half sank fast, and Robin was out of sight. Leaving Tani to save the idiot that didn't pay attention to her warning.

Tani flicked a yo-yo towards a sturdy looking branch, the new yo-yo strings that Usopp used for the gem based weapons, we're made of a strong material that could apparently withstand great stress. Let's test this shall we?

The other yo-yo was tossed to Zoro himself. He grabbed the string and pulled at it, Tani held onto both yo-yo's tightly. Letting Zoro do most of the pulling, he was the stronger half of this equation after all.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Another scream rang out over the forest, Tani felt herself grow even more terrified. Pulling even harder to get Zoro out of the mud pit.

*Tug*

Come on, come on!

*Tug*

His thighs were out of the mud, just his calves and feet and they're home free.

*Tug*

The squelch noise, followed by a pop! Zoro was sent flying with a rain of mud. The swordsman flopping on top of Tani with a thunk, completely covering her in mud. She let out a cough, and pushed Zoro off her. The man rolled beside her, his arm fanned out.

"Where's Robin?" he asked, lifting himself up into a crouch. Tani rubbed her head, cupping around her ears to listen for the bell.

"That way," she said, pointing towards a single bell sound. No wait… That's two bells.

"HIYAHHHH" came a shriek, followed by the running forms of Chopper in walking point, Luffy, and a swarm of wasps that chased them. Tani and Zoro watched as the pair rushed past them. Not even opting to question the situation.

"Ok… That way instead," Tani said, pointing in the opposite direction. Zoro nodded and followed after Tani as she walked towards the sound of a bell.

They found Robin in no time, after stopping Zoro from wandering off a bunch of times.

Robin stood before a tree, looking up at it with an enigmatic expression. The tree was empty, Tani knew she heard the south birds call. Maybe she was slightly off? Or it had moved. More screams filled her ears. The others sounded like they were having fun. She gave a strange smile.

"The bird took off before I could catch it," the older woman stated. Zoro gave her a dirty look, probably thanks to the dirt that coated his pants. Tani was just as grumpy but that's just because she felt gross with all the mud coating her shirt and face.

Another scream rang through the forest. This time it sounded like Usopp, so that's new. Tani just wanted to catch this asshole bird and get this over with!

"Maybe if we-"

"Kyuuuu~"

Robin snapped her neck towards the sound before Tani had the chance to finish her sentence. The woman threw her arms in front of her chest.

"Tres Fleur" she called out. The sweet smell of flowers filled the air, as did the snap and shriek of a bird. A net with a bird bagged in it was dropped on the forest floor right beside Tani's feet.

There it was… The bastard bird that caused all this trouble.

Zoro picked up the bagged bird and turned to the two women before him.

"Let's go find the other idiots," he said with his usual stoic expression. Tani nodded and lead the way towards all her screaming companions

...

This isn't what the straw hats were expecting to see when they returned with that asshole of a south bird.

Cricket and the monkey crews... All of them beaten and bloodied. Cricket looked destroyed.

"Hazelnut Gramps!" Luffy cried as he ran over to the down man. Tani grabbed Chopper and rolled over to them. Her skates being the fastest way to travel. "What happened?!" Luffy asked quickly. Cricket coughed harshly.

"They... They took-" he coughed up blood laced spit. "The gold, my gold... My treasure," he sounded so broken, Tani almost wanted to cry. Luffy's entire vibe spiked. He wasn't the jovial boy that was gushing about beetles just a moment ago. He was in "Let's hunt down the big boss" mode.

"Who?" he asked darkly, the setting sun really adding to the atmosphere. Cricket didn't get to answer before Zoro snarled demonically, his gaze on what everyone had turned their eyes towards.

"Bellamy," Nami scowled through clenched teeth. Sanji and Usopp rested their hands on her shaking shoulders. Tani stated at Luffy, his eyes hardened as he turned back to the forest... Oh no he wasn't!

"I'm going with you," Tani declared. Already tightening the laces on her skates. Nami snapped her head at the two of them.

"You're what!?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. "You can't be serious! We don't have-"

"He hurt hazelnut Gramps! Stole his treasure! I'm getting it back," Luffy declared. The stubborn kid wouldn't ever budge. He turned to Tani, who was already lowering herself to the ground. He wrapped his legs around her waist, her arms locked around them.

"We'll be back by sunrise," Tani promised. Zoro and Sanji promised to defend the camp if anyone came back to attack. Tani clicked her heels together before taking off towards the other side of the island.

The ride was silent, with Luffy's angered breathing being the most deafening noise. Tani wanted to scream, she wanted to throw a punch at that bastards face! This anger furled her to go faster.

"I don't want you to do anything," Luffy said with authority. Tani understood, that doesn't mean she was happy about it. The sounds of drunken laughter could be heard in the distance. They were getting close. "I don't want you getting hurt," Luffy clarified. Tani nodded, speeding up.

The pair of them stopped behind a building. Tani let Luffy get off her back, but before he ran off, she grabbed his arm and held it. Determination in her eyes.

"If I see that white haired bastard, can I punch him in the face?" she asked. Luffy gave a soft smile and nodded. Tani smiled back, her hand grabbing at the bell around his neck and giving it a quick shake. Luffy looked at the action and clasped her hand in his. She gave him a sheepish nod and let go. The bell letting out a healthy jingle as she dropped it.

"Good luck Luffy," Tani wished. Luffy smiled that bright grin that he only reserved for his nakama. Then rocketed himself to the top of the roof. Tani snuck towards the main street, Bellamy was the kind of dickweed that would wanna make a big deal out of this fight. Tani pulled her hat down to shield her face from any observation.

"BELLAMY!"

Heads turned to face Luffy, the boy stood tall on the rooftop. His expression making Tani's spine shiver. She pushed through the gathering crowd, she wanted a front row seat for this.

"Oh look it's straw hat Luffy~" some men sang out mockingly. "The little runt with a bounty of 100,000,000 berri~" they teased. They must have been rock off their knockers, because Luffy only had a bounty of 30,000,000. Luffy didn't seem phased, he just stood his ground and waited for Bellamy.

The smiling blonde pushed himself out the door of a bar. His expression was cocky and had this snark to it that made Tani's blood bubble with rage. This wasn't her fight, she had someone else to deal with should his ugly little face show up among the crowd.

"Give back the gold you stole!" Luffy demanded. Silence reigned over them all...

Laughter... They all snickered, chuckled, spat and practically pissed themselves with laughter at the demands of her captain. It made Tani sick to her stomach that such disrespect could be tossed so easily at Luffy. He's show them, all of them!

"Now why-" Bellamy let out a hyenas cackle, "Why would I ever do that, runt?" he wiped a tear from his humoured eyes. Luffy didn't falter at all. Luffy stared him down like weakling he was, which didn't sit well with Bellamy at all. The man scowled, before cackling again.

"I'm a man worth 55,000,000! You and those little crew mates of yours are nothing! You hear me! The gold is mine, and you're boring me," Bellamy snarled, his voice going that deranged tone that someone would use when trying to sound crazy.

"Hahaa! Bellamy is gonna wipe the floor with you, straw runt!" called out a drunken man. Then another, and another, until a whole choir of drunken pirates chanted for Bellamy. Tani remained still and quiet, observing Bellamy and his next move.

The man crouched to the ground, his legs rather than bending like regular bones, shifted into a grey colour and twirled around like a slinky. Great! A devil fruit. Bellamy launched himself at the roof top Luffy was standing on, bursting right through the flooring that Luffy had. Sending her captain tumbling, though Luffy only had to flick out his arm and swing to safety.

Bellamy was springing off of every surface his legs landed on. Bouncing around like a pinball in an arcade machine. The only indication that he was there being the blurs of pink and silver. Tani felt dizzy just watching. A couple more roof tops were destroyed before Luffy landed on the streets, his straw hat covering his eyes from the world. Bellamy shit talked Luffy, his range of bounce closing in on the "weakling" Luffy's shoulder fidgeted, without a seconds notice...

SLAM!

The sickening crack of wood splintering under the pressure of something being launched into it. The dust from the dirt underneath the wooden boards cleared. Revealing Luffy, who was dusting himself off and not batting an eye at the one hit KOed man that he just took out. He instead walked over to the white haired man (oh that's where he was!) and demanded the gold again. The white haired guy only snorted.

"Come on Bellamy, the fun's over you can get up now..."

Silence

"This isn't funny anymore Bellamy, take out this weakling!" he cried angrily.

Still silent

"Bella-"

THWACK!

Tani's fist collided with his face, sending him backwards. It was no one hit Smack down, but it made her feel so much better. He held his cheek and widened his eyes. Oh nice she broke his dumb looking science goggles.

"Gruh-gruh-grab the gold!" he shrieked. A pack of women scattered around to find the gold. Luffy stood beside Tani, the pair didn't look at each other but they didn't really need to. They knew they'd won this fight, their pride for one another was clear to them.

Two women practically tossed the aged cloth with a heap of gold at the duo. Luffy caught it with ease. Tani handed him her bag so he wouldn't have to carry the gold as is.

"It's really true then... Your bounties are real!" a man wallowed fearfully... Wait bounties? As in plural? As in multiple bounties? She turned to face the man, looking as intimidating as she could. The man cowered and tossed the pages at her. What she was made her eyes bug out.

"Monkey D Luffy, dead or alive. 100,000,000"

"Pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, dead or alive. 60,000,000"

"Silent bell Tani, Alive. 45,000,000"

"WHAT?!" Tani shrieked, dropping the page like it was poisonous. This can't be real! First off how the hell did she have a higher starting bounty than Luffy? Second! How did she even get a bounty?! Thirdly! Why just alive?!

Luffy looked at her curiously before spotting the pages fluttering away from her. He stretched his arm to grab the pages and pulled them back to read. His face lit up with excitement, shoving the pages into Tani's bag before strapping it to his back. She wanted to rip the pages out of the bag, but he'd already jumped onto her back (almost knocking her over).

"Let's go!" Luffy cheered, leaning forward. Tani clicked her heels for safe travels and sped away from the drunken town of Mocktown.

...

"Wait a minute!" Luffy burst, frightening Tani a bit. She jumped from the shock and accidentally smacked Luffy's head into a tree branch. He unwound his legs from her waist and pushed off her back, scampering up a tree. "Where'd it go?" he pouted, scratching his head. Tani looked at her captain, tapping her wrist.

"We don't have much time Luffy. Nami will have our heads if we show up late," she informed. Luffy was ignoring her, because he found his sights set on something else. His tongue poking out as he searched. It was cute. Well Luffy's always cute... It's not weird to call your captain cute is it?

"Found it!" Luffy called as he threw one of his arms rocketing past Tani. The air current he made making her wavy locks dance around her exposed eye. His arm pulled back just as quickly, leaving her waist long hair to be thrown over her head with the pull. Man she should really tie it up.

"I haven't seen one of these since I was a kid!" Luffy cried with elation. His normally childish tone was dialed up to maximum. Tani cleared her mess of hair away to find a golden bug being shoved towards her. Her eyes shifting back and forth between said bug and Luffy. Who had the brightest smile she'd ever seen, and coming from the king of smiles that was saying something!

"What bug is it?" Tani asked with a finger pointing at the large bug. Luffy vibrated with excitement.

"It's a gold-shelled horned Atlas beetle! My brothers and I would catch them all the time and make them fight. Ace was the best at catching them," Luffy gushed. It was so adorable listening to him praise his brother... Single brother... He said brothers.

"Do you have more brothers?" Tani asked. Luffy's expression fell, his smile less radiant than before. That could only mean... Oh... Oh no,"I'm sorry I didn't me-"

"His name was Sabo. He was really cool and wore this big top hat with goggles. He was the smartest, he even taught me and Ace how to read," Luffy praised. Tani gave him a solemn look, her hand finding its way to her captain's shoulder to give it a comforting squeeze. He turned to her with his eyes shining brightly.

"Do you wanna keep the beetle? I'm sure I could buy a bug enclosure or something at the dimension store," Tani offered. Luffy shook his head.

"He needs his family," Luffy smiled, letting go of the beetle and watching it fly away with a buzz. Luffy turned back to Tani and gave her a hug. She was left stunned, this felt like such an intimate moment. Slowly she caged her arms around her nakama. Luffy nested his head into her soft hair, almost like a child after having a bad dream.

"I'm so happy to have my nakama, I won't let anything bad happen to any of you," Luffy promised. Tani smiled.

"I'm sure the crew feels the same way Luffy," she declared. "After all," she lifted her face to look into his bright black eyes.

"What kind of crew would we be, if we couldn't support the future king of the pirates?" she grinned as bright as a star. Luffy looked at her radiance with wide eyes.

"Only the best can be on my crew, that's why you're here." he shot back. Tani felt her heart beat accelerate. So loud she thought Luffy could hear it. She averted her eyes and shyly spoke.

"Nami's gonna be mad if we don't hurry up," she said softly. Luffy climbed onto her back and clung to her limbs just a little bit tighter than before.

He was warm... Tani felt warm...


	22. Chapter 22

To say that Nami was fuming would be an understatement. From the stress of Luffy and Tani cutting it close with their arrival, to the new wanted posters, and the injuries that Cricket and CO sustained dampening their ability to work on the modifications to Merry. It was all a bit much for the young woman, so she took it out on her favourite punching bag Luffy.

Tani was too busy being panicked over by Sanji, the man had a heart attack when he saw she had a bounty (he was also very jealous he didn't have one yet, but she didn't need to know that) so he made declarations to keep her safe from all bodily harm, which was sweet.

The sun had begun rising, the warm glow making the world look a tinge golden. The smell of a storm brewing wafted through the air, it's time.

"You crazy kids be careful now," Cricket wished, the sack of gold that Luffy retrieved was resting in his arms. Nami was ushering everyone onto the boat, goodbyes and well wishes were shared. Cricket called out his final request before the newly modified Merry was to make her maiden voyage.

"Keep to the centre of the knock up stream! Or it'll be certain death! Good luck!" he called out. Usopp's legs wobbled with fear, Sanji and Chopper gave the cowardly sniper an encouraging pat to the back. Tani was slowly feeling a pit form in the centre of her stomach... A realization dawning on her clouded thoughts...

Sky is up, up is high, Tani doesn't like high, Tani was going to sky which is up and up means high. Her normally healthy brown glow diminished on the spot, leaving her as ghostly white as possible with her skin tone. She felt her hands clasp at her hair with a deathly grip, legs shaking so fast it would give Usopp a run for his money.

"Alright boys let's get this show on the-hey Tani? are you alright?" Nami questioned, Tani lifted her head and stared with widened eyes as tears filled her fear fueled panic.

"Sk-sk-skah-sky!" she stuttered, catching the attention of everyone. How embarrassing... Chopper was the first to respond.

"WE FORGOT SHE HAS A FEAR OF HEIGHTS?!" He squawked with flailing limbs. The crew all looked bug eyed at the realization, panic ensued.

"Should we turn back?!"

"No we've already made it this far!"

"Why didn't she say anything?!"

"How could we forget!"

"Tani dearest would you like me to-"

*twack*

"Shitty cook don't do anything weird you pervert,"

"Shitty marimo!"

"Will you two quit it!"

*thwack*

Through all the commotion it was Luffy who remained calm and collected, he poked at his hat with a tilt of his head. You could almost see steam pouring out of his ears as he scrunched his eyes together in thought.

He beamed as a thought finally entered the empty grey matter he called a brain. He rolled his shoulder, akin to how he would ready a gum gum pistol. Only instead of of punting Tani off the boat, his arm was thrown towards her and looped around her waist about seven times. Holding her tightly within his grasp, a literal life line.

"I got her! Let's set sail for the stream!" Luffy declared, leaving his arm to stretch as he ran around doing his own thing. Leaving Tani stunned in a mix of "Holy shit I'm going to die" and "I'm gonna fall to my demise". The rest of the crew had that equally worried sentiment towards their fearful nakama but their captain wouldn't let her fall. They all knew this, but it didn't make it any less scary.

"Follow the south birds direction," Nami ordered, Sanji instantly changing the ships direction. The wind picked up, Merry sped towards the darkening patch of ocean that was dead ahead. Tani's deathly grip on Luffy's safety line only tightened.

"Nami I can see it!" Usopp called from atop the crows nest. He zoomed his goggles in on the growing dark ocean, fingers freezing. "It's ah... It's ah! It's a whirlpool!" he shrieked. Nami ran to the front of the boat, and found that the sniper wasn't lying. They were approaching a spiralling vortex that only grew faster as they got closer.

The skilled navigator let out a deep breath, she had to be quick about this or the whole boat was going to collapse with them on it. The whirlpool would have to be where the knock up stream would appear, so it's only common sense (well pirate common sense) that the centre of the whirlpool would be where they need to be.

"Head straight for the whirl pool! Don't resist it, let it carry Merry to the centre!" she called out to Sanji and Chopper, who were both struggling to turn the rudder. Both men looked at each other with surprise, but did as their trustworthy navigator stated.

Merry had a mind of her own, floating towards the spinning pool. Turning this journey into a water park ride, zooming down further and further. Until all the little crew could see was walls of towering blue sea that raged around them.

Everyone was on deck now, spread out over the area as they tried to remain calm. Well everyone that wasn't Luffy, he was practically glowing with excitement. Tani on the other hand was ready to curl into a ball and perish.

"We're almost there!" Nami encouraged, everyone put on their brave faces and feigned calmness. The Merry was now floating much more calmly into the centre of the whirlpool. The south bird (which Tani had completely forgotten about in her panic) was now flapping it's wings and crying aloud. Chopper gulped.

"He says 'hold on to something'!" Chopper quoted before jumping and clinging to Zoro's head. The swordsman groaned with surprise but didn't pry Chopper off like he normally would have. Sanji stood beside the women, expecting them to fall into his arms but got an Usopp instead. All in all this was gonna be one hell of a trip.

The whirling stopped, everything was so silent... Except for the massive wave of water that was now rushing towards them. Chopper, Usopp and Tani let out some very feminine screams. The ground below the ship bubbled and rumbled, making it difficult to stay standing without toppling over one another.

Tani's eyes darted around wildly, unable to focus on anything as her fear heightened. Sound blurred into white noise, preventing her from hearing any further instructions.

Though she did notice a rouge boat floating towards the centre of the soon to erupt stream... Those poor bastar-

BANG!

The world stopped for Tani, her feet left the ground and left her floating in slow motion. Watching as the ship was launched high into the sky. The roaring sound of the stream screaming in her ears, making it impossible to hear her very own terrified wallows. So here she was... Dangling in the air with her mind completely blanked out as the need to get back on the boat was her only instinct.

She didn't hear Nami call out her commands, or Zoro complaining about all the people clinging to him, not even Luffy's elated cheers of excitement as he retracted his arm with her attached back to himself. The world was a blur of dark and glowing blues, she was surprised she hadn't blacked out yet... Or maybe she had? Hell she might have died and gone straight to heaven because the ship was flying one minute, and sailing on clouds the next!

"We... We did it!?" Usopp's voice broke Tani from her trance. They made it? They survived? Was this not heaven? Tani shook her head and tried to smack at her cheeks but her arms were still wrapped up in the coiled embrace of Luffy the life line. She was at his side without even knowing it. Her brain was frazzled beyond belief... Maybe she should just take a nap... Yeah... That sounds nice...

...

"-AKE UP!" Tani was violently shaken by the raging red head. Tani threw her body forward and smacked her head into Nami's unintentionally. Nami groaned in pain while Tani dizzily recalled what the hell was happening... Oh right the sky islands!

Tani stared at the environment around her, nothing but clear skies and pure white oceans. Yeah the oceans were made of clouds. How Tani wasn't having a breakdown she didn't know, maybe it was the headache talking. Though she didn't feel any pain in her head, maybe she really had died. At least she had her nakama with her.

"Tani! Are you even listening to me?" Nami sighed. Tani looked up at the woman and stared dumbly at her. Nami called for Chopper, who trotted over. "Is there anything you can do to make her... Her again," Nami motioned. Chopper did a once over, before shaking his head.

"She's under a high level of stress, the best thing for her will be lots of water to replenish her body of all the water she's lost through sweat." he concluded. Sanji decided to chime in with his own remedy.

"Why don't we just-"

"Finish that you stupid love cook and I'll have your head," Zoro threatened. Sanji glared aggressively but continued.

"Stupid moss for brains, I was going to say we let her know she's safe through acts of security. What happens everytime she's afraid? She gets clingy, let her clinge to someone. I volente-"

"Oh! Oh! Pick me I'll do it!" Luffy called out while waving one of his arms excitedly. Before Sanji could protest and offer his service again, Zoro was already pushing a thoroughly confused Tani into Luffy's arms. The captain was quick to loop his arms around the girl, she melted into the embrace (her fear melting away with it) Sanji tsked and crossed his arms with a pout. Zoro smugly grinned.

Usopp let out a strangled breath, mentioning that he felt light headed. Nami and Chopper were feeling the same effects. Tani knew it had something to do with air being thinner in the sky but she was too busy hugging Luffy to explain it. Robin waltzed forward with an army of arms bloomed around the ship, picking up anything that toppled over during the flight up.

It took Tani some time to finally let go of Luffy, her heart rate seemed to slow back to a normalish pace, though her adrenaline induced state had yet to really dissipate. Her senses on high alert everytime the Merry so much as rocked.

"Get down!" Zoro called out, his swords already flying from their scabbards. He stood in front of Robin, the swords in an X shape as he held off a masked figure that was... Walking on the clouds? The man growled deeply and bounced off the swords. Flying high in the air like a bird! A large bazooka strapped to the bare chested man's back. Which he pulled out and fired at the innocent boat.

Luffy was quick to act, blowing himself up like a balloon to bounce the danger away. Though he seemed much slower in his actions. Sanji took on an offensive stance, launching himself at the unknown enemy with his leg extended to attack. But he too was far too slow compared to the flying man.

The straw hats main fighters were having quite a lot of trouble with this guy. This mystery man was practically destroying them without breaking a sweat. Tani went to grab her yo-yo's, when a bout of dizziness stunned her. Right... Thin air.

Tani lifted her dizzy head up to find the silhouette before the sun, a man brandishing a lance while mounted to a Pegasus. A picture from a fantasy cartoon, something she wasn't sure if her confused brain was hallucinating it or if this was reality... Which was possible because she's literally on a boat in the sky for crying out loud.

There was a clashing of metal, the lance against the massive bazooka. The lance overpowering said bazooka, leading to the retreat of the flying man. Lifting her head, Tani turned to find the Pegasus landing on the deck of the Merry. An elderly man sat atop the bright pink winged horse... That looked more bird like in the face but what did she know? Maybe that's how a real Pegasus was meant to look like.

The Pegasus morphed into a bird... Well that answers that question with more questions... The old knight wandered around, helping the fallen straw hats back to their feet.

All straw hats now standing, the knight stood before them and bowed respectfully. Tani could feel her dizzy spell wearing off.

"Greetings, allow me to introduce myself," the knight spoke up, all eyes on him. "I am Gan Fall, and this is Pierre." he introduced, motioning to the bird horse thing. Luffy laughed at it and asked some Luffy-centric questions about it. Which Gan Fall happily answered. Nami rubbed at her temple, then cut Luffy off with a question of her own.

"Who was that guy? Why did he attack us and why did you help us?" she asked with an edge to her voice. Gan Fall let out a sigh.

"That man that attacked you... He's part of the Guerrilla, a dangerous and savage group of people that attack everyone that isn't one of them," he explained. Tani felt a wave of Deja Vu, this sounded a lot like something from her history class...

"Here," Gan Fall tossed a little white whistle towards Luffy. The boy caught it and inspected it. "Normally I would charge for my services, however you lot appear to be new to this. So I'll let you have the first call free," he smiled sweetly under the helmet. He gave a gentlemanly bow before hopping back onto Pierre and with the rise of his lance, took off into the sky. Leaving the straw hats awestruck.

The beat of silence was broken with the excited cries of Luffy as he held the whistle close to his mouth. Cheeks puffed as he inhaled to blow the whistle. Nami dived and snatched it from the captains hands. Landing with a smack onto the ground, the whistle dangling carelessly in her grasp. Sanji delivered a swift kick to Luffy's head, sending him flying into Usopp. Who complained about being caught in the crossfire.

Robin helped Nami back to her feet, the younger woman dusted her pants off before clearing her throat loudly. The bickering boys all turned to her. She held the whistle up by the string, her other hand motioning towards it.

"This is for emergency situations only. I'd also like to exclude Luffy, Zoro and Sanji from being able to use it unless absolutely necessary. Since you lot can hold your own just fine," Nami declared. Luffy pouted, while Sanji whined that his name was said after Zoro's, the swordsman smugly grinned.

"How about I hold it? You know, for emergencies," Usopp suggested. Nami shook her head, she then placed the whistle on a small hook in the main mast that was meant to hold spare ropes.

"It's best that everyone who isn't a brutish monster of a fighter, has access to the whistle at all times." Nami explained. Then fanned at her face, her cheeks flushing a bright red. Everyone felt themselves panic. The last time that happened, she almost died of the plague! The red head saw their fright and gave a cheeky grin. "It sure is hot up here isn't it? How about we go get changed?" she suggested.

Everyone was about to head inside when Usopp called out that there was something ahead. Luffy whooped with excitement, finally something that wasn't just white clouds!

It appeared to be a building shaped like a dock, with the same vibes as an amusement park entrance. This was gonna be something weird...

"Let's go!" Luffy commanded, everyone cheered in agreement.

...

"That'll be 8 billion extol to enter the Gates of heaven," the little old woman who looked more like a pug than a human, demanded. Nami's jaw almost smashed through the decking it dropped so low.

"What's an extol?" Tani chimed in for the first time in a while, she still felt sick to her stomach but surely this couldn't get any worse. Might as well deal with it now. "If it's foreign money then we don't have any... Except for my world's money but that has no worth here so I shouldn't have even brought it up-" she rambled, only stopping when the pug lady cuts her off.

"You blue sea dwellers don't have the extol? That's fine, I don't care if you pass through. Hurry up and go," she said, putting her hand in her bag, while the other shooed them away. Nobody really thought it was suspicious... Well the boys didn't, the girls gazes lingered a while longer before they started sailing towards the...

"Oh come on!" Tani cried, her loud exclamation drowning out the click of the ladies camera.

Before the crew was a massive incline. That disappeared into even more clouds. Tani felt like throwing up and dropping to the ground crying. Luffy latched onto her with both arms, the girl was pressed right into his chest. She was too busy worrying about the new height situation, to even think about blushing.

"Hurry up stupid gate, stop making Tani feel bad," Luffy complained. Tani only whimpered as the ground started to shake. Her eyes slammed shut, the speed with which the ship went flying upwards made her head feel dizzy. The pressure being too much on the already petrified girls stability. Luffy held her tight, his body being a comfort yes, but it wasn't enough. Tani felt her conscious brain shutting down.

And she was out like a light.

...

Tani opener her eyes groggily, the light brown wooden roof greeting her. She groaned a little as her body registered that she was indeed awake. Propping on her elbows to get a better look at where she was. Oh this was the closet that Chopper was using as an infirmary... Where's Chopper? Or anyone else in fact. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She didn't really hurt, other than the sore spot on the back of her head.

Getting up without a struggle, Tani wandered out of the room. She felt off though, her legs felt more exposed and her stomach was cold. She opened the closet door to the most blinding white light she'd ever seen. Her arms covered her unprepared eyeballs. The sound of laughter and chatter could be heard in the distance.

Blinking a couple times to adjust her eyes to the intense white light, she found herself looking at a picture perfect beach. The kind you'd find in vacation ads for Hawaii or Bali. Tani wandered towards the front of the Merry, spotting Luffy's iconic red vest and straw hat flinging around in the palm trees that had... Green pumpkins? In them? Weird.

"Hey!" Tani called out, her voice scratchy from the dryness of her throat. She coughs down into her hand, her eyes opening up to find her stomach exposed... And her legs... Oh dear god she was in her underwear... Why?!

Tani watched in horror as her crew mates and two new faces all turned to stare at her. Her cheeks flushing brighter than the sun that looked way too close in the sky.

"Tani's awake!" Luffy cheered brightly. Tani looked right at him, though their eye contact was cut short as a pair of hands bloomed on his shoulders and slapped over his eyes. The same being done to every other male within the vicinity. Robin gave Tani a soft smile and a wink. Thank you mother Robin, Tani is forever in your debt.

Nami came running to the over exposed girl, quick to explain what she had missed while being passed out.

"Your body went all feverish from the stress, so we had to strip you down as best we could or Chopper said you'd have some kind of stroke that could damage your brain," she explained vaguely, Tani opened her mouth to ask a question but Nami was already on it. "It was me that did it, don't worry," she assured sweetly. Tani sighed with relief, looking at what Nami was wearing. A bikini top and cropped pants. It was pretty humid up here wasn't it.

"Chopper said that you should be drinking a lot of water to regain all the sweat you lost, same as before," she informed. Tani nodded, her head felt heavy. "Let's get you changed into something more appropriate," Nami snickered. Ushering Tani towards the women's cabin to get changed.

...

"I don't plan on swimming though," Tani protested as she walked outside in her new attire. She wore the swim suit with swimming shorts combo, her long curly locks tied up in a high ponytail that pooled out the back of her cap. A cap which was now facing forward rather than the usual backwards fashion. Her denim jacket stayed on, she wanted to button it up to cover herself better, but it was way too humid for that.

"Come on, what if you have to dive into the clouds to save Luffy from drowning? You know the moron is gonna fall in at some point," Nami convinced humorously. Tani couldn't help but giggle... That is until the word cloud registered. The girl looked over the side of the Merry... Oh right they were in the sky islands. Tani turned around and walked back towards the cabins. Nami looked at her with confusion.

A hand gripped around the retreating girls jacket collar. The force with which it recoiled was so powerful for the unsuspecting woman that she went flying with it. A shriek escaping her throat as she flew passed a smirking Nami. Within seconds, Tani and collided harshly into a palm trees trunk and flopped face first into the crystal white sand. Where she laid for a solid ten seconds.

"Is she... Is she alright?" a voice that didn't register with Tani spoke, an airy woman's voice.

"She's just sleepy," Luffy's distinct voice assured. Tani was gonna smack him with a yo-yo when she got up.

*smack*

Nevermind.

"You shitty captain! You hurt Tani!" Sanji growled. The tapping of Choppers hooves grew louder.

"Someone call the doctor! She's out cold!" he squealed. Tani lifted her head with furrowed brows.

"Aren't you the doctor?" she asked before dropping her head back to where it was before. Chopper stopped panicking.

"Oh that's right, I'm the doctor... Wait you're awake!" he accused, before flipping her over and checking over her body for any injuries. Tani would answer if this or that hurt, Chopper just retold her to drink water. Did anyone mention that she needed to drink water? Because boy did she think that maybe she needed some water!

"Hey Usopp! Catch," Luffy called, before Usopp was smacked in the head with a whole ass pumpkin. Tani thought the interaction so absurd that she laughed rather obnoxiously. Failing to noti-

"Tani too," Luffy called before tossing the heavy fruit? Pumpkins are fruit right? Anyway the pumpkin was tossed at her head and she followed Usopp in suit.

Tani lifted her head groggily and stared out at the ocean of white, something only those who would see heaven could gaze upon. An ocean of clouds before her. Her eyes widened with awe, through all her terror she had failed to actually see the clouds... It was breathtaking.

"Straw hat, you're supposed to poke a hole in this soft spot here. The skins too tough to bite through," a soft spoken man chuckled lightly. Luffy had all if his teeth clamped down on the hard fruit. The man gently took the fruit and poked at a small spot with a straw, then handed it back to Luffy. The captain drank the contents of the fruit so fast Tani thought she saw the whole thing shrink.

The man handed a straw to Tani and Usopp, the pair following his previous example. Tani went to take a sip of her fruit, when Luffy slammed his used straw into the soft spot of hers and proceeded to start drinking from it. Tani had to be quick if she wanted to have any of it. Taking in one big gulp, the flavour was so odd to her, because she really was expecting a pumpkin flavour. Though she didn't have much time to think, because she had to drink fast to get anything more from the rather refreshing beverage.

Luffy turned his attention to Usopp's one after Tani's was drained completely. The girl gave Usopp a sympathetic expression before wandering over to Nami, who was inspecting a strange looking device.

"What's that?" Tani questioned. Nami shrugged.

"I found it among all the stuff that Zoro brought up with him. It looks like you can ride it?" Nami theorized. Tani stepped closer and examined it with a critical eye.

"It looks like a scooter without wheels? How would it move if it's got no wheels?" she questioned.

The young woman that Tani had only just now really gotten a good look at, wandered over with her soft angelic features.

"It's a waver, though it looks pretty old compared to the ones that papa works on," she explained. Tani and Nami looked at each other, the word waver didn't sound familiar. Tani crouched down to take an even closer look while Nami asked more questions.

"So what does it do?" Nami inquired. Tani clasped what looked like handle bars and twisted them, nothing happened.

"They can ride along the ocean, like a small boat. It's powered by dials," the angelic girl continued to explain. "The dials propel it froward with a burst of wind," she explained further. Tani had a light bulb moment.

"Oh! It's a jet ski!" she exclaimed excitedly. Nami looked lost at this, but she liked the idea of a vehicle that's basically a single person speed boat.

"Can it be fixed?" the navigator inquired. The blonde haired woman looked at it in thought, then smiled soft as a feather.

"I'm sure papa can fix it, he's a waver expert." she beamed. She turned away and wandered to her father to ask about the waver. Tani decided she wanted to examine the environment a little more.

There she stood on solid ground, sand to be exact. How could there possibly be sand in the sky? Well solid sand. It was just too hard for her to believe. She didn't consider herself a science kid but she knew how to ground herself in the facts, and this simply couldn't exist. Except that she's in a dimension where this place does exist so she can't really refute that.

What's most curious is the fact that Merry is floating on the clouds. Clouds that should be too thin for such a heavy boat to float carelessly upon. Tani's brain felt like it was fried just thinking about it.

Then she saw it... Luffy...

The boy was flying around on a device that looked a lot like that waver that Nami was investigating. Just a bit more not broken, maybe it belonged to Papa.

Anyway, the captain was swaying like a child when the training wheels are removed off their bikes. Tani could see the wipe out coming a mile away. His rubber limbs seemed to catch with the wind, his body was sent flying upwards like a morbid human kite. Tani couldn't help but laugh at the scene.

"He's gonna hit Merry!" Usopp wailed. Tani was watching Luffy flail around. She'd seen people crash their jet ski before, it was normally funny in an "at least that wasn't me" way.

"No wait, he turned at the last minute, but now he's gonna hit that cloud," Usopp continued his live commentary.

And it happened, Luffy went flying when the bottom of the waver skipped over a cloud that poked out. His grip was loosened, sending him flying into the pillowy cloud ocean... Ocean... Luffy can't swim... Oh wait!

She didn't even think as she ran to dive for the water, only for her brain to scream at her with a wave of panic as her foot entered the white ocean. A conflict that screamed at her to leave him in the ocean and let someone else save him, but another voice screaming that this is her captain, to get her nakama! She has to save him.

Luckily for Tani, Zoro and Sanji dived for not only their captain, but Chopper as well (who dived in to save Luffy, the silly goose). Tani scampered away from the panic inducing ocean. Hovering closer to Sanji and Zoro.

"Everyone," the kind old man's voice called out. All eyes on him and his daughter. "Please come with us back to our home, I'm sure it would be much more comfortable," he requested. Motioning towards the house that looked over the ocean.

"Mind if I mess around on the waver instead?" Nami asked, already mounting the device as if she knew exactly how to pilot the thing. Nobody would be surprised. She's a woman of many talents.

"Oh of course dear, go right ahead." the old man smiled sweetly, he held up a single finger. "Just don't go too far out, there's an island not too far from here that is forbidden to set foot on," he warns with a slight edge in his voice.

Nami nods and turns away from her crew and their new companions. Revved up the waver and sped off into the distance. Luffy looked on with a pout, muttering a "I could do that," while crossing his arms. Tani snickered and looped an arm around his shoulders.

"Next time gadget," she says. Luffy looks at her with confusion, but remembers her strange sayings and goes along with it.

"Well then everyone," the man spoke, "Let's head back home," he waves for them all to follow.

...

Conis lead the pirate crew towards the smallish beach house that belonged to her and her father. They all sat within the open living room, Tani found herself sitting on the couch next to Usopp. Luffy was on the floor leaning against that couch, Zoro and Robin sat on another couch, and Sanji decided to find the kitchen so he could prepare lunch.

"Is there a stove here?" Sanji called to Conis. The angelic girl snickered sweetly, hovering towards him and pointing towards a large redish-orange shell. She clicked the top and removed her hand before the burst of fire could nip at her pearly skin. Sanji wasn't the only one in awe at the sight.

"Is that one of those dial things? I thought they were only for wind propulsion?" Usopp asked with sparkling eyes. Tani could see the inventor in him singing with joy.

"Yes, there's many types of dial. They're used to make life more convenient. For example," Conis pulled out a dial that was a light cream colour. She pushed the button and spoke into it, "This is a repeat dial," she said. After the dial clicked, she pushed the button again and it repeated what she'd said.

"That's so cool," Luffy praised, his hand stretched over to grab the dial from Conis. He clicked the button and did as Conis had just before, "Usopp is stupid," he said. The sniper was not amused.

"There are also dials that work as lights," Conis continued, walking to a lamp and pressing the top of the yellow shell, which illuminated at the touch. Tani decided to ask questions of her own.

"So a dial is essential a shell that works as a modern convince? That's so cool!" Tani praised at the demonstrations Conis showed off. She'd missed modern luxuries like light switchs so much. Usopp was already muttering under his breath the kinds of upgrades he could do to his sling shot, Nami's clima-tact and Tani's yo-yo's, man Usopp is so cool.

"Lunch is ready," Sanji declared, handing out smallish lunch boxes around. The presentation was compact and cute, with small sausage octopus things, and rice balls. A meal that was common place for this world, it had a very Japan vibe to it. Looking like the display cases in that one Japanese store she walks past on her way to work... Oh speaking of home.

Tani tuned out the chatter around her to grab her bag. Hands digging down deep to find her bell. She really should add something like a ribbon or string to it so it's easier to find. Tani held the bell and began shaking it in different directions.

It remained silent.

Tani gave a pout, guess there's no stores around. Maybe they don't have service in the sky.

"Nami sure has been out for a while," Sanji worried. Scooping another bowl of rice and handing it to Luffy so everyone else would have 0.06 seconds to eat their own meals.

"She's enjoying the freedom of being away from you, love cook." Zoro smirked, Sanji's knuckles went white from his tightened grip. Luffy on the other hand, perked up.

"If Nami is missing... We have to save her! Let's go to the mystery forbidden island!" he vibrated with that spark of adventure. Conis and Pagaya both looked at each other with distress.

"No you can't! Anyone who steps foot on that land is to be judged by God Enel," Pagaya stressed, Zoro huffed a laugh.

"I don't believe in god," he declared. Conis and Pagaya dropped to their knees and prayed for the safety of their new guests.

Tani heard a humming noise come from outside. She got up from the couch and walked towards the balcony. An orange and brown blur came speeding towards the beach.

"Guys! Nami's back!" she pointed. Robin gave a soft smile.

"It appears that God has allowed our little navigator safe passage back to us," she said sweetly. Sanji was the first one out the door. Luffy was left to sulk at the lack of mystery forbidden island adventures.

"Let's go meet up with Nami, maybe she had an adventure?" Tani grinned. Luffy sighed even harder. Everyone moved to leave the house.

Tani followed behind Usopp and Robin. Luffy was still whining about the mystery island.

"It would be so cool, imagine all the mystery treasure we could find," he complained childishly. Tani gave a giggle.

"We could still explore it, you're the captain, and we're pirates so nobody can stop us," she started. Turning more serious with her next response "I would advise not doing that though, because it's a sacred land and desecrating it would be pretty disrespectful. At least it was back home for my people," she monologued. Luffy's eyes sparkled.

"You have mystery islands too?!" he beamed. His smile was brighter than the sun!

"Of course, there's this place called Australia that has this really weird animal called a platypus. It's like a fusion of a duck, beaver and snake! Plus it's a furry creature that lays eggs! Like that's so weird!" she explained. Luffy looked like he was gonna explode from how much he wanted to explore the place.

"Tani! We gotta go there! I wanna see a platepass!" he bounced on his feet. Tani snickered.

"It's platypus, and if we can figure out how to transport the whole crew back to my dimension, then we can think about exploring Australia," Tani said. Though she had her doubts that that could ever happen.

"Luffy! Tani! Hurry up!" Usopp called from beside Nami. The navigator looked shaken up, her hair standing up as if she'd been in a storm. Luffy instantly lost the jovial look and questioned her with seriousness... Well Luffy levels of serious.

"What happened?" he asked. The crew surrounded her like a bubble. She pulled on one of her pigtails nervously.

"I saw- I saw a ma-man get...get...get!" she speedily fumbled. Luffy grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"Breath," he ordered. A wave of calm seemed to strike everyone. The navigator took a deep breath and restarted.

"I saw a man get electrocuted... On an island not too far away from here," she sounded pained. Her arms hugged around herself. "I couldn't... I couldn't save him," she wept. Tani, Usopp and Chopper dropped to her side and hugged her tight.

Connis on the other hand, stared at them in horror.

"You went to upper yard?!" she shrieked with fear. Her father stood beside her with just as much fear. "You're in terrible danger," she said solemnly.

The Straw hats looked at her with curiosity. They're rainbow of eyes looking into her sky blue gaze.

"God Enel will punish you,"


	23. Chapter 23

"OK so let me get this straight," Tani almost groaned. "You're saying that we've just angered a literal God, who has electric powers... And that because of this we are all going to die?" Tani had her fingers fanned out and touching at the tips. Kinda like those fancy looking professors from the movies.

Conis nodded nervously. Tani actually groaned.

"Of course we did, what kind of pirate adventure would this be without causing trouble on literally every island we land on!" Tani complained. "Evoked the God! And he shall smite thee!" she said with dramatics.

"HALT! TRESPASSERS!" a man in a white beret called out from a bush. A few more men followed behind him.

"Oh come on!" Tani shrieked. Robin simply smiled at the ordeal with amusement. How humorous it was when the universe decided the target one individual that wasn't herself.

"You're the trespassers from the blue sea correct?" the leader asked, pointing towards the group. The crew all looked at each other before turning back and in unison, waved their hands in denial and chanting "No, no we aren't," together.

The white beret guy blinked in confusion before apologising and turning away from them with a sheepish frown.

The crew went back to comforting Nami.

"..."

"WAIT A MINUTE!"

The man burst through the bushes again and started shouting at them again. Something about trespassing and all the jazz. The crew was too busy listening to Nami recount her traumatic experience.

"How about we relax on the beach? I could make something sweet to calm your nerves my lovely Nami," Sanji offered kindly.

"Stop you trespassers!"

"I saw plenty of comfortable chairs in a gazebo on the way over," Robin added quietly. Spawning a hand to help Nami back onto her feet. Nami nodded in thanks.

"Hello? Are any of you listening to me?!"

Usopp pointed forward, taking the lead while excitedly telling Nami about the upgrades he was going to make to the clima-tact with the new dials he'd taken (with permission) from Pagaya. Her mood brightened up at the conversation.

"STOP IGNORING ME!"

"Shut up!" Luffy and Zoro called at the same time. Both boys turning and punching the man in the face. He flew back into the bushes he came from, his back up looked at the captain and first mate with fear. Both men had already turned away from them to join the crew on the beach.

...

Tani was relaxing on a deck chair beside Nami and Robin. The sweet smell of those pumpkin melons and other foods being cooked over an open fire dial filled the air. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper happily climbed trees and made sand castles. Zoro was cleaning his swords with a fond smile on his face. Tani sighed with content... Oh maybe she should take a photo!

The girl got off her chair and glided towards the boat... Well until she saw the clouds that she'd have to walk through to get to said boat. She nervously dipped her toes into the white clouds with discomfort. She could already feel her limbs tense.

Tani shoved her foot into the cloud, her foot submerging into the fluffy mist. Her brain screamed at her to get it out, she couldn't feel the ground. It wasn't the same density as regular water either, she would almost certainly fall through.

The girl let out a whimper and pulled her foot out with lightning speed. Shaking her whole body as if flicking the non-existant cloud off her body.

"Tani dearest?" Sanji's voice called to her with concern. He held a platter with several beverages on it. One of them looking far better in terms of presentation. He handed her the prettiest of the drink. "Would you like me to get you anything from the ship?" he asked politely. Tani looked from him to the ship, back and forth.

She really wanted her backpack, but she didn't want to ask for help. Sanji was offering his services to her, but she needed to get over this fear of clouds... Clouds that are hundreds of feet above the sea.

"That would be really nice... Sorry," Tani apologised. Sanji brushed his fringe back a little, though his eye wasn't revealed. Now that she thought about it, she never seen his other eye. No matter how much the man moved around, his fringe always failed to lift off his covered eye. Weird.

Sanji was already back with her bag in tow. He handed it over with a gentlemanly air, before ushering her back to the rest of the crew. The pair only now noticing the annoying white beret guy was back. Policing everything that the crew was doing. Nami looked like she was ready to hit one of the guys with her Waver.

"Oi! Stop harassing my lovely Nami and sweet Robin," Sanji growled at the white beret troopers that surrounded the gazebo. His legs already flying as he left Tani to go defend the other women of the crew with his chivalrous ways.

"Madam, you're standing exactly three inches away from a ghost crab. That's four inches too close to one of our national treasures. That'll cost you 2 million extol in fines." one of the white berets said as he spawned next to the girl. Causing her to jolt and step backwards, a small crab as white as the sand gave a little jump and scuttled away from the pair.

"Looks like the little guys run away, no more fines for me," she said smugly, turning away to ignore the guy. She'd dealt with police officers more intimidating than this guy.

"Walking away from an member of the white berets while engaged in conversation is a violation of rules. Punishable by a fine of 4 million extol." he called to her. The girl let out a groan and turned to him with the most deadpan "I don't give a shit about your dumbass rules" expression she could muster. The man stood his ground. She really didn't wanna fight right now, she was still jittery with nerves from the clouds. This guy however was being a total pain.

"Ugh! Fine!" Nami gave in, getting up from her chair and waking towards the Merry. She had steam coming from her ears out of frustration. Stomping past the white berets... Who broke the camels back when they opened their mouths.

"Stomping on the beach is a violation of-"

"THATS IT!" Nami roared. Running towards the waver she'd borrowed, mounting and slamming on the accelerate. She u-turned and sped towards the white berets. Luffy was pissing himself with laughter as she slammed the waver into the leaders body, launching him into the bushes again. Nami was on a rampage, riding towards all of them at an alarming rate. Luffy, Zoro and Sanji joined in. Chasing the men around like a big game of gang up tag.

Tani was watching as the berets would fly around on their waver? Shoes. They would shoot arrows that made streams of clouds for them to float on top of. Tani wanted a pair of those shoes... No... She needed them.

She jumped into action, her yo-yo's flew in circles at her sides, she spun them as fast as she could. Gauging the whereabouts of the pesky beret that was floating around her. She wanted one thing... One thing only.

Come on... Come on...

There!

She twisted herself to face the man that charged her with grabbing hands. Her arms crossing over each other, the yo-yo's dancing over each other and looping around the man's ankles. He tangled and tripped over into the sand, hitting his head on a rock which knocked him out. Oops.

Tani grinned wide, running towards the downed foe, dropping to the ground and unclipping the waver parts of his shoes.

The shoes acted like those clip on roller skates that cost like $7 at home. You would slide your shoes into them and clip them on, keeping your regular shoes while being able to skate around. Tani had those for a while, until she received her first pair of roller blades for one of her birthdays.

She shoved her feet into the free space, clipping them in. She shuffled her feet around for a bit, getting a feel for them. This was going to be like ice skating if she was making any assumptions.

*Swipe*

An arm glided past her, she ducked just in time. Oh right she was still in the middle of some big fight!

Tani turned around to face the guy who had the audacity to interrupt her new tool discovery moment. All she needed was a training montage and she'd be right as rain.

Now how to turn these on?

She hadn't seen any of them start using them, far too busy trying to fight them off to really pay them any mind. The dark skinned girl clicked her heels in thought.

She went flying...

Wind whipped her flailing self as she zoomed forward with unsteady legs, though her balance restored as quickly as she lost it. Tani wants to say that she adapted like a pro and didn't have an issues at all.

But the many Tani shaped sand angels, bushes and cloud trails would say otherwise.

"LOOK OUT!" she screamed as she flew past Chopper, who shrank from heavy point into brain point to avoid the flying projectile that was Tani.

"Watch it!" Zoro yelled when her foot collided with his head. His reflexes allowed him to grab her offending foot and throw her towards an enemy.

At least Tani could say that Zoro would be great at bowling. Her head calling out strike when she bowling balled into the five white berets that approached them.

Tani was face down in the sand, skidding across the ground until someone grabbed her feet and clicked them together. Tani laid in the ground for a moment to catch her breath... Well she couldn't breath but she was frazzled.

She lifted her head from the ground and saw a flurry of flower petals dance past her. Robin giving her a close eyed grin. Tani gave her a thumbs up before smacking her head back into the sand.

"Oi Tani, get up already we gotta get going," Usopp said while poking Tani's head with a stick. The girl gave a tired groan and remained laying in the sand.

"Sand warm. World cold. Tani sleepy." she replied slowly. Today was just... Not kind to her. Usopp continued to poke at her head. She focused on listening to what Nami and Robin were saying while packing up their things to load the boat.

"Honestly, that old hag let us in so why are we getting charged for it," Nami grumbled. Her voice growing distant as she walked away from Tani's spot. Robin laughed calmly.

"Maybe it's an extortion thing, surely you would have done the same for money," she accused with no malice. Nami made a choking noise before agreeing reluctantly.

"Usopp stop poking Tani you moron!" Sanji's voice shrieked. The sound of his leg making impact and the later crashing of a tree plus groaning of Usopp told Tani everything she needed to know.

"Oh Tani dearest," Sanji coddled as he slipped his arms under the girl who was still laying on the ground, accepting her fate. Sanji lifted her off the ground in a princess carry. Her head lolled over his arm so her head was upside down. Facing the boat. Nami, Robin, Zoro and Chopper all stood on the boat. Luffy was sitting on the mast head while clapping his feet together, cheering about their continued adventures.

Sanji began swiftly gliding towards the boat, his hold on the girl was steady as a rock. Yet that didn't prepare any of them for the rumbling of the ground, large quakes in the earth? Sky? That bellowed underneath them. Sanji toppled, spinning around so Tani would land on him. Usopp crawled towards them with wide eyes. His arm raised in a point towards the Merry.

"WHAT IS THAT!" Usopp shrieked, Tani finally came to her senses. Sitting up on top of Sanji to watch as two massive claws clasped around the Merry.

The shaking caused Luffy to fly forward and splash into the cloudy ocean. Tani without thinking, ran straight for the captain. His feet poking out of the clouds were slowly sinking, so with a click of her heels she flew forward on the wavers and snagged around Luffy's ankles. Yanking the boy out with a cartoony pop, Luffy snapped back like a rubber band. He collided with Tani, legs curling around her waist while his arms hugged around her head with a childish laugh. Tani flailed her arms and legs, flying without any control. She couldn't even see because Luffy's chest was smooshed into her face.

"Luffy! Let go- ack!" Tani shrieked as she felt the ground disappear from under her feet. Luffy's legs clutched around her waist much tighter as the pair went flying towards the nearing cries of Usopp and Sanji.

*Crash*

Tani clicked her heels so she wouldn't have a repeat of her last landing... That was 20 minutes ago.

The pile of straw hats looked on dizzily as their ship and nakama were whisked away by the massive shrimp that sped away.

Sanji stood up first, dusting off his pink flowery shirt with a huff. He offered Tani a hand, which Usopp took. Sanji groaned but helped his nakama back onto his feet. By the time he could offer his hand again, Luffy already had the girls hands in his with excitement bubbling on his face as he spoke rapidly about how awesome her new shoes were.

"What do we do now?" Usopp wallowed, looking at the disappearing Merry. Sanji shook his head, he didn't know what to do. Not like they had a boat, nor any idea where the Merry (and the rest of their nakama) we're headed.

"We just need to find a boat don't we?" Luffy stated with as if that was the most obvious answer out there. Sanji motioned towards the empty beach.

"Excellent idea captain, pick a boat." Sanji said with the most deadpan tone. He was surrounded by 17 year olds, of course he'd be stuck baby sitting two man children and a lovely darling like Tani.

The sound of sand shifting drew their attention to the rather timid form of Conis. Her hands held together in front of her chest, something was off.

"What's wrong angelic Conis?" Sanji asked with concern. The other crew mates looked at the girl as she took a deep breath and relaxed.

"I can show you to the boats we have. The super express speed shrimp that took your boat and friends is most likely being taken to Upper Yard," she explained. Luffy perked up at the mention of the forbidden island. Conis motioned for them to follow her in silence. The group walked briskly towards her.

Sanji and Luffy were up the front, standing beside Conis while she talked to them about the town they walked through to get to the boats. Tani and Usopp lagged behind a bit, both of them suspicious of the whole ordeal.

"Some things off about Conis," Tani whispered to the sniper. He gave a nod and whispered back.

"The towns people are just as weird, all of them keep avoiding us," he pointed out. That wasn't very shocking, they were strangers. Usopp continued, "Even Luffy can't charm them,".

He was right, Luffy was unable to get a single one of those people to even look at him for more than a second before the retreated or shut the door in his face. Nobody normal could resist his charms! This was a weird place.

"Here we are," Conis said with a wobble in her voice. Her eyes refused to meet any of the straw hats.

There was a row of boats. All of them looking more grand than the last... Until they spotted a smallish wooden boat with no special features. Conis pointed to that one.

"That's my father's boat, he'll let you use it to save your-"

"Why are you shaking?" Luffy asked while interrupting her. She lifted her head and stared at them with surprise. "You've been shaking the whole time we followed you. Why?" he asked again. Conis shakes more, her eyes refusing contact.

Luffy stared at her. Tani and Usopp looked at Sanji with concern. The man did nothing but light a smoke and puff out the smoke. He must have noticed too. Conis let out a cry as she fell to her knees and sobbed.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please forgive me I'm sorry, sorry, sorry," she wept. Luffy made no move to comfort her. She lifted her teary head up to look at him. "I called the shrimp... I did it... It wa-was me," she wiped her tears away with the backs of her hands. Snot dribbled from her nose. Luffy looked at her with indifference.

"Why?" he asked her. She hiccuped and explained why.

"It's God Enel's will that we lead criminals away from the island. So he may punish them and not us." she cried. Luffy knelt down to her level. Failing to notice the cries of terror from the people, the cackling boom of thunder. Tani let out a scream as lighting struck the spot that Luffy and Conis were standing.

Note the word "were"

A flash of pink swooped down and snagged around Conis' waist. The girl was hoisted into the air by none other than Gan Fall the knight. Luffy was dangling from the beak of Pierre with no signs of harm. People started yelling about the newcomers.

"LEAVE!"

"THEY'VE ANGERED GOD ENEL!"

"THEY'VE DOOMED US ALL!"

"GO AWAY! GET AWAY!"

Tani saw some kid throw a fruit towards Usopp. Though he dodged it before the fruit made impact. Tani sighed, walking towards the boat that Conis had pointed out while Usopp followed and Sanji went to collect Luffy from Gan Fall.

When entering the boat, Tani was hit with a wave of knowing. The controls looked exactly like a manual car. Only the stick was on the left hand side rather than the right side. Her mother had given her driving lessons every opportunity she could, so Tani was confident that she could drive this boat.

Sitting in the drivers seat with certainty, Tani messed around with the peddles, this one's brake, that ones go. She felt at home, turning to her right to give her mother a grin... Only she didn't find her mother sitting beside her with her tired eyes and soft open mouthed grin that lit up the world. No messy brown curls with one bit at the top tied up in a scrunchy because she loved that one time when Tani was 6 and tied it for her... A pit formed in the girls stomach, a feeling of home sickness that she hadn't felt in a really long time.

"Move over!" Luffy commanded, Tani blinked out of her space out to stare at Luffy. Furrowing her brows playfully.

"Can you drive a car?" she asked smugly. Luffy looked at her dumbly.

"What's that?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes. Tani bopped him on the nose, which he wrinkled like a cat.

"Something I can drive and you can't, let me handle the boat. You guys can kick back and relax," she said calmly. Getting comfy and waiting for Sanji and Usopp to sit down. Luffy wasn't going to move from his spot behind her chair. Arms crossed atop the head of the seat, his head practically on her shoulder.

"Let's go!" Tani whooped, more excited now that she could really show off a skill of hers. Shifting into gear one, she slammed on the peddle and sent the boat flying.

Gear two.

Gear three.

Gear four.

The boat flew fast with controlled ease, the wind whipped Tani's face in a way it never had while she drove in a car. This was freedom, no morons to look out for, no speed limits.

It was pure bliss.

Tani couldn't help but laugh with joy as she shifted into the Fifth gear with a big grin in her face. A sharp turn approached but she didn't care. Usopp's sounds of protest mixed with the boisterous laughter of Luffy as he pushed for Tani to go even faster. Sanji was silent, watching the ordeal with amusement, though his legs were clenched to the ground so he wouldn't go flying.

The boat speeds down the milky road, until Tani noticed a fork in the road. Four paths all of which have some sign atop them. She hits the break hard, Luffy flips over the top of her chair and crash lands into her lap. Usopp went flying and smacked the back of her chair, making her crush Luffy with her top half. Sanji was freaking out over Tani and all her potential injuries. Though the girl was laughing way too hard about the situation to really care about the ache in her ribs. Honestly if it was anyone but Luffy, they'd both be dead.

"And this my friends," Tani wheezes with humour in her tone, "Is why you wear seat belts," she coughs. Luffy is looking up at her from in her lap, laughing his ass off about it. Tani forgot to blush or get flustered she was so winded.

"Why did you stop?" Luffy asked. Tani pointed up at the fork in the road. Luffy examined them. While Sanji read them aloud.

"The ordeal of swamp, iron, string or balls?" he breathed while smoke curled around his words. Usopp shivered at the thought of any of those (but he didn't want anyone to think he was scared so he hid it).

Luffy lifted himself so he was sitting in Tani's lap more comfortably. Now Tani felt her face heat up, luckily Luffy wasn't looking at her. Focusing on the ordeals that they would face... Well one of them at least.

"So captain? Which one?" she asked, her words carrying that fluster as confidently as she could. Luffy leaned his head back so he was resting it on her shoulder, his whole body pressed against hers. She let out a small, whispered yelp.

"Balls sounds funny, let's do that one!" he decided. Much to everyone's relief, the others sounded awfully painful. Though the word balls could mean anything. Balls of what? Bouncy? Sports? Cakes? Who knows at this point. Guess they'd find out soon.

Tani went to lean forward a bit, only to find Luffy was still there... Oh right.

"Hey Luffy? You gonna get up now or-"

"I wanna drive too," Luffy said, putting his hands on the wheel in front of them. Tani let out a sigh. She was gonna have to deal with this wasn't she? "Keep your hands on the wheel, I'll move shift gears and control the brakes an accelerate," Tani accepted. Her arm snaked towards the gear stick. Luffy held the wheel with great excitement.

"Ready?" she asked, Luffy nodded with a hum. Tani gently started to push down on the accelerator, "Gently turn the wheel to the right, we're going towards the trial of balls." she spoke in the soft voice her mother would use.

Luffy being Luffy turned the wheel very sharply. Tani slapped her hands onto the wheel, landing right on top of Luffy's hands. She twisted the wheel back so they wouldn't fly off the cloud road. Sanji let out a yelp as Usopp slammed into him from the hard turn.

"GENTLY!" Tani groaned. Luffy just laughed loudly. Tani couldn't stay mad, not that she was mad in the first place. She did the same thing when she first started driving. Tani kept her hands on his, demonstrating how far they needed to turn. Luffy looked awed at the whole thing.

The tunnel they headed into was dark, and gave off the kind of vibe one would get when going up a roller coaster that had a massive drop at the end. Excluding the clicks of the chain that caught the carts of the ride. Tani felt her stomach rise into her throat, but why? It's not like there was a massive drop at the end of the tunnel.

"The light, I see it!" Usopp cheered with tears in his fear filled eyes. Tani clenched her hands onto the wheel harder than she should have. Luffy didn't complain since he couldn't feel the pain she would have caused him. Though his big eyes turned to her with question.

The light grew nearer, fresh wind blew thorugh the crews hair. Tani's massive ponytail practically floated behind her...

Then the whole boat dropped out of the sky

It took everyone roughly two seconds to realize they were free falling from god knows how high. Though the collective light bulbs all dinged at the same time. Tani let out a blood curdling scream, body frozen in place with her eyes slammed shut, all muscles tensed. Sanji gave a yelp when Usopp who was also screaming loudly, latched onto the chef. Sanji lunged towards the drivers seat, his long arms circling around it to lock onto Tani so she wouldn't float away. Luffy was laughing like a maniac, throwing his arms around the whole crew and looping about five times to keep them all together.

*Splash*

The boat bounced and rocked, showering the occupants with misty water. Tani wouldn't open her eyes, even as her nakama encouraged her to do so. Her body was shaking so violently, she looked like a maraca.

"Luffy could you move her for me, I'll drive," Sanji asked smoothly.

Luffy did as he was asked without question. Hands slid under her armpits and hoisted her to the other end of the small boat. Usopp sat beside them, making small conversation with Luffy while trying to include Tani.

The girl shook her head, she knew she was being ridiculous. They were alive and she couldn't afford to be a burden on her crew anymore. Ugh she hated it! Why was she so scared of heights anyway?! Because of that one time at camp? Really? How pathetic.

"Hey hey Luffy look," Usopp snickered. Tani opened her eyes and looked as the long nosed man changed his body language to that of an innocent child. "Pshh don't compliment me you bastard! That doesn't make me happy at all," he wiggled and happy danced. Just like Chopper! Tani couldn't help but snicker. Earning her a glance from both boys, an idea sparked in their collective brain cells.

"Hey, watch this!" Luffy said. His hand moving up to push his fringe away, he put on a grumpy face with narrow eyes. "Grr will you idiots shut up I'm taking a nap *snore*" Luffy growled in a deep voice, closing his eyes to mimic sleep. Usopp clutched his stomach, Tani snorted. Tani wanted to try.

"Oh, oh my turn, my turn," she chanted before standing up with her hands balled. She walked over to the two boys and lightly bonked them both on the head with her fists. "You knuckle head! Can't you listen to me?!" she shrieked. Luffy and Usopp pissed themselves with laughter.

Sanji looked over his shoulder with a soft smile on his face. His eyes off the road for just a moment, missing the floating orb that approached their vehicle. Tani turned in time to let out a shout.

"SANJI THE ROAD!" She panicked. The blonde chef turned around in time to quickly swerve around the ball. Now everyone noticed the influx of white balls floating towards and around them. Oh its ordeal time...

"Those look fun!" Luffy cheered, jumping to his feet to grab one of the large spheres. His hand slipped inside, causing it to burst open with a loud bang. Exploding soot and heat all over the patrons of the boat.

"They're explosive!?" Tani and Usopp cried aloud, grabbing onto each other with paling skin. Their cries quieted as Tani listened closely... Jovial laughter. Someone was here.

She turned to the left side of the boat, before anyone else realised the rotund man bouncing and giggling atop one of the balls. She quickly dug into her pockets and whipped out her yo-yo's with a glare. This guy was bad news.

Luffy and Sanji thought differently, as both men smirked at the sight of such a weak looking opponent. Usopp hung back, his sling shot at the ready.

"Ho Ho hooo!" he giggled. Tani instantly thought Santa Claus and started to giggle without thinking. The man bounced from one foot to the next. His big sunglasses making it hard to see which person he was looking at. A wide grin graced his face.

"So the criminals chose my ordeal, hoho how exciting!" he chirped shrilly. The ball he was bouncing on floated closer. Tani tensed up, spinning her yo-yo's faster. "Won't God Enel be pleased," the guy bubbled with joy.

"Just shut up already," Luffy barked. "Gum gum pistol!" he called out. His arm flew towards the guy, who gave a manic grin and dodged with ease. Luffy's arm flew into a tree branch, shattering it to bits. He retracted his arm quickly with a snap. Glaring at the joyful man who bounced happily.

Sanji lit a smoke, his focus narrowed on the man with relaxed features. He didn't predict much from this fight. So he waited for Luffy to just get on with it.

Luffy shot another gum gum pistol, then a bazooka. The man slid like butter to dodge every shot fired. Luffy was visibly growing annoyed. He fired another bazooka at the man. Who's grin widened.

The man bounced off the ball, landing on Luffy's elongated arms. He ran towards them with his palm facing them all. His hand collided with Luffy's face. A blast like no other blew Luffy out of the boat with the force of a bulldozer. Everyone stared at the bouncing man on their boat.

Sanji was the first to engage. His legs whipped out to hit the man. Yet just like Luffy, the man dodged with no sweat broken. He was having the time of his life! He flipped over Sanji and pressed his palm on the guys back. Knocking Sanji off the boat and into a tree with a slam.

Usopp and Tani quivered. Their two best fighters were out for the count! How the hell were they gonna beat this guy?!

The round man turned to them and grinned. Usopp fired a bunch of random stars at the man. Once again he dodged everything the sniper hurled at him.

Tani jumped forward with her yo-yo's ready to attack. The man turned to face her with a faltering smile. His eyebrows raised above his sunglasses. She flicked up, her yo-yo narrowly missing the guys face. He fumbled backwards a bit, before regaining his composure and focusing on removing Usopp from the battle.

He pressed his palm on Usopp's forehead, sending the man flying into a tree branch way up ahead. Tani felt herself pale as much as her dark complexion would let her. She was a alone now, the man turned back to her. The boat humming under them as it trudged along the milky road.

"Strange..." he said, before charging at her with no remorse. She jumped out of the way. Though he watched her moves with great intensity. His palm aimed at her side. Though before he could fire, Tani lifted her leg. Knocking his palm away, he fired into the air which knocked him backwards as the force was too great for him.

Tani rolled back to her feet. This was so weird, why could she land hits yet her crew mates (all of which were much stronger than she was) couldn't even touch the guy?

The man let out a groan before he bounced back up and smacked his palm into the distracted girls side. Sending her flying off the boat. She let out a loud scream as her body hurdled towards the mossy ground bellow. She shielded her face in an X shape.

Arms looped around her, she glanced up to find Sanji cradling her in his arms with a miffed expression. The bouncy man was annoying.

He let Tani down, the girl stood beside him with her arms pressed into the side that was hit. That was going to bruise so bad in the morning.

"Ho Ho hooo! You little criminals are no match for me! Satori! One of Enel's trusted priests," he hooted. Bouncing onto a ball, the boat trudged along the road without its occupants. "With only a 10% survival rate, you lot will be dead before you know it ho ho!" he giggled before turning his focus to Tani and launching towards her quickly.

Tani dodge rolled away from Sanji. The chef cried out her name with fear in his massive blue eye. Tani ran away from him.

"Get the boat!" she shrieked as she bolted away from Satori.

Sanji nodded at her, though she couldn't see him because she was running for her life. Blasts from what she saw was a dial that was stuck to his palm, were aimed at her.

Satori let out a laugh as he chanted something. A bunch of the exploding spheres entered her field of view. Though she was running to fast to stop in time. Colliding with the closest one, she was showered in... Flowers? A rainbow of petals fluttered around her. Distracted, Satori took the chance to throw another ball her way. This time it burst on a root that stood beside her, exploding into a pile of large snakes. Venomous snakes from the looks of it.

Tani screamed for the millionth time today. She hated this god damn island so much! Stomping her feet to avoid the snakes that snapped at her waver clad feet. Oh right the wavers!

Tani clicked her heels and was sent flying, Satori clearly didn't predict this because his jaw dropped. The girl was out of control but at least she was in the air.

"GUM GUM PISTOL!" Luffy roared as his fist came flying towards Satori. The priest gave a laugh, right at the last minute he dodged in time for Luffy's pistol to bounce off a tree trunk and ricochet towards the flying terror that is Tani. Luffy's eyes widened in horror as his fist collided into her. Knocking her out easily. Now Luffy was pissed.

Tani laid in the ground, completely unable to move. Gasping for air with black spots dancing in her vision. She clicked her feet so she wouldn't drag across the ground. Satori had stopped paying her any attention, clearly happy that she was out of commission.

"hohooo you're no match for my mantra. I know every single move you do before it even happens," Satori gloated. Tani blinked slowly, her eyelids heavy with a need to sleep. She couldn't though... She needed... To... To watch... To help... To...

...

Tani let out a gasp, coughing as she choked on the rush of air that filled her lungs. She looked up to find Usopp knocked out beside her. The pair having been placed next to each other. She blinked the blur away. Spotting Luffy latched onto Satori, his giggles holding no concern at all while Satori was panicked beyond belief. So her crew got the upper hand... Where's Sanji?

"I'll have you know that I have half of my nakama in danger right now," the blonde spoke with suave. Tani could practically hear the jazz playing. She leaned her head against Usopp. A smile gracing her face.

"You've hurt our sniper and dearest tracker, you've prevented us from getting back to our boat, prevented us from saving our lovely navigator, gorgeous archaeologist, doctor and the shitty swordsman," Sanji monologued. The familiar click of his lighter setting ablaze. Satori whimpered as he tried to squirm out of the captains hold.

Tani noticed the boat was still chugging along on the road. The boys too distracted with taking out the threat. Wobbling to get onto her feet, she stood with determination.

She's got this, Tani you've got this!

*click*

She zoomed forward, though found herself able to stand straight. Jumping over roots with a bit of a wobble, she ascended. The extra air she got from the wavers let her float higher when jumping, she just needed to land on the milky road.

She bounced up, zooming passed Luffy and Sanji in what felt like slow motion. The both of them staring at her with shocked amazement (Sanji) and prideful joy (Luffy) there was also Satori but he was scared out of his mind. Luffy wrapped around the priest a couple more times so he wouldn't slip away and attack their tracker.

"I NEVER SAW HER COMING! HOW IS SHE BLOCKING MY MANTRA?!" Satori shrilled. Luffy told him to shut up, head butting the guy. Sanji continued his monologue.

"Well look at that? Our dearly beloved tracker is up and running. Now let's get back to serving this dish," Sanji said coolly. Standing on the ball he was floating on. "Punishment for the likes of you are best served cold, however I'm feeling rather fiery right now," the chef tilted his head back. Smoke danced passed his lips. The blonde tossed his used cigarette, launching off the sphere. His body curled into a ball, with his leg stuck outward. He spun as fast as one of Tani's yo-yos.

"THE ORDEAL OF LOVE!" Sanji roared when he hit peak height. Spinning faster and faster until!

"CONCASSE!" he called as his leg smashed into Satori's head. Shattering his glasses and teeth.

KO!

Tani landed on the boat as Sanji dealt the final blow. She hit the brakes, swiping the sweat from her forehead with a big grin. Leaning over the edge of the boat she smiled at her companions. Who smiled back at her with tired grins. Sanji lifted Usopp into a princess carry, using the same care he would when handling a woman.

Luffy looped his arm around Sanji's waist, his other arm launching towards a branch just above the boat. Luffy slingshot them towards Tani at rocket speed. Letting out a Tarzan howl as he swung through the jungle trees. Luffy dropped Sanji and Usopp onto the boat, he continued swinging around the trees having the time of his life. Tani stood on her feet and bounced around with excitement. That looked super fun, even if she would have been suspended above the ground from god knows how high.

Luffy saw the want in her eyes, as he swung back towards the boat he held out his free arm and handle barred the girl. Lifting her into the air with him. Tani's arms looped around Luffy's neck, her legs circled the captains waist.

The initial fear wore off of Tani, Luffy held her tight around her ribs. They swung back and forth, circling the boat. Tani felt free. The fear of heights being pushed back into her mind. Her lungs filled with air as she prepared to let out a mighty roar.

Luffy joined her call to the jungle. Tarzan and Jane would be so proud of these wild children. Tani couldn't stop laughing, Luffy too.

"Oi! We got a crew to save you moron. Tani dear we need to get driving," Sanji called. His voice laced with sugar when directed at Tani. Luffy pouted but dropped to the boat. Sanji had taken the wheel, saying that Tani needed to rest a bit more before she was able to take on that role again.

So here she was, sitting beside Luffy and the now awoken Usopp. All three of them continuing their game of impressions.

"Alright who am I?" Tani asked. She grabbed curled the fingers on one of her hands into a hook shape, her eye lids drooped as she gritted her teeth and let out an iconic laugh "Ahahah, Straw hat brat. I'll rule all of Alabasta ahahah," she giggled during her speech. Luffy and Usopp slapped the ground at that.

"Croc, it's Croc!" Luffy spat through his snickers. Usopp waved his hand in the air. He wanted to go next.

"Luffy can I borrow your hat for a second? this one's gonna be good," the sniper asked. Luffy looked a little hesitant to hand over his treasure, but got over it because this was his nakama. He handed the hat over, to which Usopp placed it on his head and took on a hot shot persona.

"Luffy sure is a handful, thanks for taking care of him," Usopp said while flicking the rim of Luffy's hat up with two fingers. He then started to make shooting noises with his fingers as he 'shot fire balls' from his finger tips. Luffy and Tani snickered.

"Oh oh don't forget 'What do you mean you can put a fire out?!' hahaa," Tani wheezed. Luffy was hunched over while banging his fist on the decking.

"What about-"

"Will you lot shut up? Tani could you please quiet down darling I think we're here," Sanji called out to them.

They arrived at a big opening of water, the Merry was sitting there in all her glory... Well except for her mast which was missing... There was also a whole load of burn marks on her. What the hell-

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Nami cried from off the boat. Tani looked over to find Nami, Zoro and Robin standing on the land around the pocket of cloud ocean.

"Where's Chopper?" Tani whispered. Luffy and Usopp looked around from where they were and couldn't see the little reindeer doctor. Tani's ears caught onto the faint panting of a tired child. Chopper's tiny head popped up from on the deck of Merry.

Everyone was here.

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Sanji drove over to Merry to pick up Chopper. The sun was setting and with this jungle around, Luffy decided it was time to go camping! Camp fires and sleeping under the stars. The crew all agreed, as it would be safer for them to have more fighting room if they were discovered. Everyone had a really rough day.

...

The crew was sleeping... Well everyone except Tani. She couldn't rest, something was bugging her mind though she didn't know what. Maybe she just needed to go to the bathroom? No she already did that... Maybe she was hungry? No that's not it either, Sanji's food always filled her up... What was it?

Two voices entered her head. Their words muddled in her brain.

"Ring"

"Ring... Ring..."

Ring what? Wedding ring? Ring a round a Rosie? Wring your neck? Ring a bell? Ring ding ding? She didn't know!

"Trouble sleeping?" came the calming voice of Robin. Who's piercing blue eyes softened at the sight of Tani. Tani jolted, but gave her a nod. The woman leaned on her hand, giving Tani a reclusive smile.

"I think I'm forgetting something important? A word keeps repeating in my head and I don't know what to do with it," she said with a whisper. Robin gave her a thoughtful expression.

"Are you troubled by these thoughts?" she asked in her level tone. Tani nodded. It was bothering her that she didn't know what her head was asking her to do. What does ring mean?

"Often when I'm plagued with troubled thought, I think of those that bring me joy. It always manages to fight away the negative thoughts," she whispered. Tani frowned, she'd already tried that. Her gaze travelling over her crew mates. All of whom she loved dearly, all of whom could handle themselves and bring out the best in each other...

"Do you think I'm a burden?" Tani whispered with a quiver in her voice. Her large green orbs staring into the frosty blue of Robin's own eyes. The woman sighed, holding her arms to her chest. A pair of arms bloomed from Tani's side and began tickling at her. She gave out a sputter of laughs though tried to stay quiet.

Robin let up, leaving Tani a mess of giggles. The woman closed her eyes and relaxed.

"If you were a burden, you would have surely been forgotten, abandoned or betrayed." her voice held a hint of melancholy. "The crew loves you dearly. I can see it in the way they look at you. The eyes are the window to the soul after all," she said softly. Tani gave a nod. Giving the older woman a soft smile.

"We love you too Robin," she said with sleep in her voice. The events of today having finally caught up with her. "You haven't been here long, but it feels like you've been a part of the crew forever," Tani smiled with a sleepy expression.

Robin gave a very very soft and quiet laugh. Though this one didn't sound like her reserved laugh... This one was more like Luffy's but with a "Dera" at the start.

"Derashishi," Robin laughed sweetly. Not waking anybody. "Miss Bell, it's time for you to sleep," she said with a motherly tone. Arms sprouting from the ground and pulling the blanket over the tired girl. Tani let out a yawn and whispered.

"Goodnight Robin,"

The girl drifted off to sleep, missing the black haired womans glossy eyes. The laugh she inherited escaped her lips.

"Derashishi, good night Miss Bell, deradera,"

Her laughter was carried through the whispering winds. Maybe... Just maybe... She could find home here.


	24. Chapter 24

Sputters of light evaded the trees leaves and branches, the suns light from millions of miles away beamed down on the thin eyelids of a very sleepy Tani. She blinked once, twice, three times until the blur of her dreams drifted back into the depths of her mind.

Tani couldn't move. Her top half was held down by Luffy, who had managed to crawl all the way over from the other side of the camp. The captains backside was on her, so she had a full view of his bare chest rising and falling with every slow breath... Oh shit how her cheeks were warm! Curse you Luffy and your stupidly defined body!

The trapped girl did her best to wiggle at least one arm out of her prison. If only she could just... Reach her... Bag. Her fingernails dug into the dirt as she clawed towards her just out of reach bag. She was bound to have a snack in there that she could us to get him off.

"Breakfast!" Sanji called. Luffy's eyes snapped open so fast that Tani got whiplash just watching him move. He launched off her chest, her bones cracked painfully underneath. Ah right she needed to check for bruising from the impact dial... She realised she was still wearing a one piece swimsuit... And would have to remove the top half to get even a look at the wound.

The crew slowly woke up, though moved faster when they saw Luffy by the food. Sanji did his best to kick the bastard away. Tani took the distraction as an opportunity to slip away and check the damage. If it was really bad, she could just ask Chopper for some bandages.

Looking around with caution, she made sure she was absolutely alone before she pulled the straps off her shoulders and peeled the bathers down until it rolled around her waist. One arm covered her exposed chest instinctively. She tilted her head around to look at the side that was hit, a massive purplish bruise covered the bottom half of her ribs on the side. She poked it with a finger and hissed with the pain that bloomed up her side. Great...

"Tani, Luffy's gonna eat all the food if you don-"

Tani let out a shriek at the sudden noise, the voice was deeply masculine so she knew it was probably Zoro. Her face beat red she turned to glare at the man. His expression was indifferent... Until he spotted the bruise.

"When did you get that?" he asked with very very slight hints of concern. Though those hints were loud and clear for anyone that was familiar with the older teen. Tani turned her back to him. Rolling the bathing suit back over here chest with embarrassment. "Were you gonna tell Chopper? That needs to be checked out right away, you moron," Zoro said. The hypocrite.

"It's fine, I'll sleep it off like the rest of you monsters," Tani joked. Zoro didn't look impressed. He crossed his arms, standing as stiff as a tree in front of her.

"Lemme take a look," he asked, though it was more like a demand. Tani made an X shape with her arms while furiously shaking her head no. The swordsman narrowed his eyes at her with annoyance. "Would you prefer Chopper? Robin or Nami?" he asked with a levelled tone. Not allowing any annoyance he did have to bubble into his dialogue.

"It's fine, I've had an injury like this befo-"

"It took you a week to heal from that. A wound that takes any of us about a day to heal from," Zoro interrupted. Tani furrowed her brows. A hiss of disappointment escaped her lips, she really was at a disadvantage. "Don't think we haven't noticed Tani," Zoro added. The girl looked away from him.

"I'm getting Chopper. Stay here," he said calmly. Walking back through the bushes and foliage to collect the tiny doctor. Tani was left alone with her thoughts.

How wonderful to find yet another disadvantage of hers. It's like for every boon she discovers, a bane is found only moments later. She doesn't even feel human around these people. So many differences it's like she's once again an outcast. Even if her brain is telling her that she's fine and that they love her as nakama. She just...

"Where's the bruise!" Chopper's voice squeaked, his little footsteps being heard over the ringing of the bell he has looped around his healthy antler. Tani looked up at him sheepishly. Noticing Zoro standing with his side against a tree, he wasn't watching. Just guarding?

"It's just on my side, it's nothing really." Tani tried to assure (in vain). The little doctor huffed, crossing his arms and stomping his itty bitty foot. Tani sighed, slowly rolling the swim suit back down to show the damage. Chopper let out a gasp.

"THIS IS BAD!" He cried, Tani widened her eyes with horror. Chopper nodded his head. "What you have could be internal bleeding, have you felt light headed at all since you received the wound?" the deer asked frantically, opening his first aid kit to search for something that Tani wouldn't even know the name of.

"Not at all, it just hurts when touched or poked." she said, poking it as an example. Chopper slapped her hand, which caused her to yelp.

"Idiot this is serious! What if it is internal bleeding?! I don't have the equipment with me to deal with such a procedure," he whined. Tani broke eye contant, the guilt creeping up her spine was more painful than the bruise at her side.

"It's nothing, I've dealt with this before," Tani hissed. Chopper sputtered and cried at her, but she ignored him.

"Tani," Zoro called out to her, his glare was stunningly sinister. A demonic sheen glistened over his eyes. Instilling this kind of fear in her that she knew would be her demise if she ignored his warning... Scary guy... Great first mate.

"Fine. Chopper can you do anything to fix this." she asked. The little doctor pulled out the object he was fishing for a moment ago. A container full of a blue cream.

"Let me apply this. It'll numb the pain you feel for the next couple hours." he instructed. Applying the cream as best he could with his hooves. Tani helped out, though bending her arms so awkwardly wasn't pleasant.

Once the cream was applied to Chopper's standards, Tani rolled up her bathing suit again. Chopper held out his hoof for Tani to hold. The girl complied, a small smile on her face as she followed the youngest crew member back to the camp. He also grabbed Zoro's hand so he wouldn't get lost, but they didn't tell the man.

Once arriving back Tani found that Sanji and Robin were holding Luffy down while Nami and Usopp held a plate of still steaming food out of his rubbery grasp. Nami looked over at Tani with the most relief the dark girl had ever seen in her life. Taking the food out of Usopp's grasp and running it over to Tani, thrusting it into her hands with desperation.

"Eat it quick!" she demanded. Tani shoved as much of the breakfast into her mouth as she could before Sanji and Robin released the beast, his eyes dead set on Tani's meal. His grabby hands almost reaching her at a dangerous speed before Chopper shifted to heavy point and stomped on the captains elongated arms with a roar.

"Careful! Tani's got an injury that could be really bad!" he growled. Tani felt herself pale. Obviously the others would find out eventually but she still felt awkward with all the people staring at her with... Pity? Guilt? Empathy. Tani was never really good at reading people when if came to this kinda stuff.

Luffy instantly retracted his arms, his face was slightly more serious than normal. His sight lingering on her as if trying to pin point the injury.

"The impact dial," he concluded, has fist hitting the palm of his hand. Ding ding ding.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Usopp asked with concern. Tani looked away with embarrassment. Her hands balled by her side.

"It's just a bruise. Chopper's being dramatic," she answered. The little deer got flustered and tried to explain what she might actually have.

"She might have internal bleeding," Zoro said for Chopper. Luffy looked confused.

"Isn't that where the bloods meant to be?" he questioned. Nami gave a growl under her breath. How stupid is her captain?! She can deal with that later, for now she needed to scold a moronic tracker.

"Tani that's serious! What if you didn't say anything? You could have seriously hurt yourself! Or worse..." Nami said in that motherly tone. Tani hated when it was directed at her.

"It's not that bad! I haven't felt dizzy or lightheaded. I'm fine so can we drop this and just get to discussing what we all found out or something," Tani grumbled. Her arms crossed over her chest, though she wasn't tensing her muscles. In fear of hurting her side.

"Well Miss navigator, Mr swordsman and I uncovered some rather curious information," Robin started. Sitting on a tree root with elegance. All eyes turned to her, much to Tani's relief. "It appears that the island we are currently residing on was once a part of Jaya." she informed. Nami added her own two cents.

"We found the other half of Cricket's house on the edge of the island. It was completely covered in roots and vines. So it's been here a while," she stated. Tani felt her eyes widened at the absurdity. That's the Grandline for ya.

"Well on our way over to the Merry, we encountered some bozo saying he's some priest of Enel. So it's safe to say that there's at least four priests," Sanji stated.

"What makes you so sure?" Zoro questions with a hint of teasing. Sanji snarled.

"Because there were four trials we could have picked from, so that means four priests. Or is four to big of a number to count to, shitty three style," Sanji quipped. Zoro's hands shot to his swords, Sanji whipped out his legs and the two started to fight. Legs and swords flying in perfect harmony. The crew decided to ignore them and continue.

"There were four trials and we took out Satori, so we know that at least three priests will still be running around. Hopefully they just stick around for the trials though." Tani stated. Usopp nodded in agreement.

"Is that all we have for now?" Nami asked. Standing up to break not only the Zoro/Sanji fight, but their skulls too. Chopper gasped at a realisation.

"Did you say ordeals? The guy who attacked me and Merry said something like 'ordeal of strings' I think. He was really scary so I had to call Ganfall... Sorry," Chopper apologised. Robin pet him on the head.

"It's alright Mr Doctor, you were all alone." she assured sweetly. Chopper nodded but the self doubt was still there.

"Strings! That was one of the ordeals," Usopp snapped his head to look at Tani who was already looking at him. She nodded in agreement.

"Chopper you're super lucky to be alive. Satori took all four of us to take him out. It was like he could read our minds," Tani stated. Luffy finally spoke up.

"Not you though," he said, pointing at Tani. The girl blinked at him, pointing at herself.

"He took me out super easy, of course he knew what I was doing," she brushed off. Luffy shook his head.

"No I remember. He got super annoying when you flew passed him for the boat. Wouldn't stop shouting which hurt my ears. Then Sanji kicked him and he shut up," Luffy recounted. That didn't answer her question though.

"What did he say Luffy?" Tani asked. Really curious now. Luffy started picking his nose.

"Uh, 'why can't I see her?' or something like that. I dunno he was annoying so I just ignored him," Luffy stated. Flicking the snot off his finger. Tani rolled her eyes.

"You probably broke his eyes," Tani concluded. Luffy shook his head but didn't have anything to say. Sanji did though.

"He mentioned mantra and how he couldn't see Tani with it. Only Tani," Sanji added. Luffy grinned.

"What's mantra?" Zoro questioned. Everyone drew blanks, it was a phrase nobody had heard before.

"Well from what we know, it means the user can see into the future a little bit. Like mind reading but only for people," Sanji stated.

"I think the guy that attacked me had mantra as well. He dodged all my moves and knew what I was doing before I did it," the little Doctor added.

"That's so weird," Nami groaned, her hand resting on her forehead. Pigtails bobbing as she shook her head. "And Merry is totally destroyed so we can't-"

"Actually, last night I saw something strange," Usopp cut her off. All eyes turned to the sniper. "I saw someone fixing Merry," he explained "I saw some kid with a hammer. They smiled at me, whispering something I didn't understand." he was dead serious. The liar spoke only the truth of what he saw.

"Let's go check then," Nami concluded. Walking away from the crew to check on Merry. "I need to check something anyway. Merry has all my maps," the navigator explained while the crew followed her.

To everyones shock. The Merry was in perfect condition! The extras that Cricket and the monkeys added were removed though. How did the kind stranger know that Merry wasn't meant to have those?

"Usopp wasn't lying then?" Zoro commented, the sniper got pissy and smacked the swordsman on the head. Zoro didn't react at all.

"Well I'm gonna go over to grab my maps, I need to check something that's been bothering me since last night," the navigator mentioned. Tani decided to take this offer.

"I need a new shirt, this one piece makes it too hard to keep tabs on my bruise," Tani said sheepishly. Boarding the mini boat. Robin and Sanji both stepped forward to join them.

Sanji wanted to make everyone lunches, and Robin needed to compare some notes she gathered with the information she discovered in a notebook that Cricket gave her when Tani and Luffy were beating up Bellamy.

The moment the boat landed, Tani was rushing straight to the girls room. Opened the door and ripped through her side of the wardrobe to find a shirt that was easy to lift without exposing much. A peach coloured tank top caught her eye, so that's what she snagged. Quickly changing into it and throwing the swimsuit onto the ground with unneeded aggression. Maybe she could ask Sanji if he had any dishes to clean.

Tani walked into the kitchen, a savoury aroma filled the air. Sanji whistled a tune that Tani didn't recognize, lost in his little world.

"Hey Sanji?" Tani spoke, the cook jumped a little in shock but recovered flawlessly. Tani pointed at the few dirty dishes sitting in the sink. "Mind if I clean those?"

He gave her a hesitant look, that chivalry sparking in his eyes before he closed them and smiled at her with appreciation. "Of course you can, I always enjoy your wonderful company," he said with a slight strain in his voice.

Tani got to work, filling the sink with hot, soapy water and scrubbing hard at the dishes with the comically over sized sponge. Sanji continued to whistle his tune. The atmosphere was relaxing as the strong smells of something salty wafted through the air. Tani felt her brain go dumb... She really wanted a mac and cheese. Gosh when did she last have one of those? Maybe Sanji could make one for her?

"Do we have the stuff to make a mac and cheese? I really want one," Tani asked, turning her head to look at Sanji while she continued to scrub at the dishes. Sanji did the same, he continued to stir the contents of a pot while looking at her like she'd just introduced something he didn't know. Come on, mac n cheese was like the third most important poor people dish, everyone knows how to make one.

"Tani dearest, I have never heard of that dish before. Would you be so kind as to explain it so I can prepare it as soon as possible," Sanji said with a glimmer of excitement. Tani dropped the dishes she was doing and grinned.

"Cooking with the legendary Sanji. It's like a dream come true," Tani said while waltzing towards the fridge to grab out the ingredients they needed. Did they even have macaroni here? Cheese they seemed to have heaps of, but the little pasta was missing... Oh they did have the little bow tie pastas because Luffy thinks they look more appealing... Not that he looks at it when shovelling it into his mouth.

"We need flour, salt and a cheese grater," Tani spoke absently. Pulling out milk and butter, placing it onto the bench. Flour and salt being placed next to her, Sanji hovered beside her with a curious grin.

"This looks like a white sauce?" he stated, Tani thought about it and yeah probably. "This should be easy," he remarked. Tani nodded her head, remembering when the cooks at her old job would show her tips and tricks on how to cook super simple yet tasty meals... How were those guys doing?

"Did you want me to grate the cheese?" Sanji asked, pulling her out of her day dream.

"Oh! Sure sure I'll get to measuring out the other things," Tani answered. Grabbing a measuring cup from the drying rack. In goes the flour, butter, salt, milk and right on cue Sanji tipped the cheese into the mix. "I'll make the cheese, you get to making the mac." Tani commanded. Sanji gave a lazy chuckle but did as he was asked. Making the pasta on the stove jet opposite of Tani's cheese sauce.

"This is such a common dish back home, I'm surprised you of all people didn't know it," Tani snickered. Sanji bumped her with his hip as a sign of playfulness. Tani bumped back, Sanji snorted a laugh.

"Even the best of the best are still learning Tani," he said. Tani perked up at what he said, or rather what he hadn't.

"No darlings or dearests? Who are you and where is my Sanji?" she spoke with seriousness, though the sputters of laughter gave away her perfect act. Sanji froze for a second at the realisation that he forgot his honorifics for her. Though relaxed at the realisation that she was playing

"Apologies my dearest darling Tani, queen of the mac and cheese," he said with an exaggerated bow, Tani put a hand to her chest before bowing back just as dramatically.

"I shall graciously accept your apology, prince of the kitchen," she spoke in her most snooty voice... Then the smell of burning hit her nose. "Ah! The cheese!" she broke character and jumped to mixing the sauce. Sanji let out a sigh of content, focusing back on the pasta that was almost ready.

When the pair had finished their master piece of a meal, they dishes it up into the lunch boxes that Sanji always had on hand. The extra going into four small bowls for the girls plus Sanji. The chef balanced the bowls on a tray and walked with Tani towards Nami's drawing room. The smell hit the navigators nose instantly.

"That smells great!" Nami exclaimed while sniffing the new dish. Nami and Robin were comparing the maps of Jaya and Skypiea to the log in Noland's journal. Sanji handed out the dishes and turned to leave the room, but Nami had other ideas.

"Sanji sit down, share a meal with us," the redhead requested, waving him over. He did as she commanded, sitting down cross-legged with flushed cheeks and a straightened back.

"Well that's a rather unfortunate turn of events," Robin said passively. Ears perked up, their attention brought to where her finger pointed on the page. "Noland's record mentions that the city of gold was located in the right eye of the skull, and according to the updated map that miss navigator has drawn up so wonderfully. It appears that Jaya's right eye is Skypiea." the older woman informed.

"But how?" Tani questions. "How the hell did a whole chunk of island just go bwoosh into the sky?" she made the sound effect, her hand flying up as a simulation of the island going 'bwoosh'.

"That means he was telling the truth..." Nami whispered solemnly. The room went silent... Then Nami's eyes glittered with that golden glow she gets when thinking about money. "The city of gold is real! We have to go find it!"

The room went silent once again. The new discovery mellowing in their minds for a moment before-

"HOLY SMOKES SHES RIGHT!" Tani shrieked with shocked excitement, facing Sanji who turned to her with a shared expression.

"WE WILL BE RICH!" Nami cheered, pulling Sanji and Tani into a side hug. The cook looked sheepish at the close proximity. The red head pulled both crew mates up and started doing a little dance. Robin looked at them with her soft expression.

"What about The Merry? She wouldn't be able to accompany us on our journey. Surely it would be dangerous to leave her here on the alter," the older woman questioned. The dancing halted. What would they do? Merry would be destroyed if she was left alone.

"We can split up. It takes three people to sail her, so the rest can go looking for the golden city," Nami suggested.

"We better tell the others then," Robin said, standing up and gliding out the room. Leaving Tani, Sanji and Nami alone together. Nami blinked as she remembered something.

"Oh Sanji! I almost forgot," the navigator spoke, walking over to the shared closet. She opened it and removed a small, unassuming box and handed it to Sanji. "A thank you gift for carrying all my bags whenever we go shopping," she grinned. "I picked these up in Mocktown when you were away," she said with a wink.

Sanji looked at the box with curiosity. Opening the lid, inside he found a collection of fun looking hair clips, many of them were ocean or fish themed. There was also nail polish and really expensive looking hand cream. Sanji's eye widened with a look that couldn't be described. A mix of pure happiness, confusion and embarrassment.

"I saw you eyeing them when we went on our last trip together," Nami stated. "We should all have a girls day out. Sanji you're invited too," she winked. Tani was missing something. Sanji felt his breath catch in his throat, his normally prideful self closed in as he clenched his arms with a full blown red blush covering his whole face.

"For now let's get back to the others and make up the teams," Nami suggested, walking out of the room with Tani and Sanji in tow. Sanji held onto the box of gifts close.

Sanji split from the group to put his gift away, when Tani turned to Nami with a question in mind.

"Why did you do that? If you don't mind me asking," she asked curiously. It seemed out of character for Nami of all people to be the generous type in terms of gifts. The orange haired woman gave Tani a look that spoke a thousand words. Like she's wiser than she let's on.

"Call it a woman's intuition, but there's something about Sanji that he's holding back. I'm hoping that a little push in the right direction might help him find himself," she replied cryptically. Tani was even more confused now... How does giving Sanji feminine geared products... Tani wasn't quite sure. Nami playfully punched Tani's shoulder.

"You'll see someday, for now let's just be supportive of him. He seems lost," the navigator stated. She is a navigator after all. It's her job to help her crew find places. "Come on, let's get to the boat," she grinned.

Sanji sat in the drivers seat, a hair clip in his fringe, and a smile as bright as the pearls of the deepest oceans.

"Let's go,"

...

"CITY OF GOLD!?" Luffy, Usopp and Chopper shouted loudly. Zoro hummed at the recounting of Nami and Robin's discovery. Sanji was packing everyone's bags with the lunches he made, Tani shoved a water bottle in each bag as well. She was not having another Alabasta situation.

"So who's in what team?" Zoro asked. Already giving off an air that says 'I'm looking for the city to gold and you can't stop me' vibes. Nami pulled out a stick and started drawing names in the sand.

"I've already decided that I want Usopp on team Merry, since he's the best with ship related stuff. We only need three people for steering Merry." Nami concluded. Usopp saluted her, the shaking in his legs at the thought of going through the jungle, subsided.

"I wanna find the gold!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. Bouncing on his feet.

Zoro gave a smirk, hands resting on his sheathed katana's handles. Clearly he was going with team El Dorado. Robin gave a similar smirk, though more reserved. Guess that makes three.

"I'll be on team Merry," Nami stated. "We can't skip out on a navigator, especially in the Grand line," she concluded. Sanji held his hand up.

"I'll go team Merry then." he said. "Can't have our lovely navigator at risk of any danger," Usopp huffed at the off handed insult.

"Team Merry will have the whistle Gan Fall gave us right?" Tani asked. Tightening her shoe laces, not really wanting to get up because her side hurt really bad... Why did she crouch to fix her laces!

"That seems fair, plus he defended Merry last time and flew away without any harm." Chopper stated. Nami's attention now on the pair.

"Chopper? Tani? How about you guys?" Nami asked. Chopper stood beside Tani with his little arms crossed. "Which teams will you be on?"

"Tani's current situation means I need to stick with her, just in case anything changes for the worst," he said sternly. Tani rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. Luffy took this opportunity to chime in.

"Come with us then," he said, standing behind Tani with his hands planting down on her shoulders. The girl gave a yelp in surprise. "It'll be fun," he added. As if that was reason enough for their inclusion.

"Luffy..." Chopper started. "If it really is internal bleeding, than Tani should not be moving around. I think it would be best if-"

Luffy swooped down to Tani's level, his hands sliding from her shoulders to under her knees and back. He lifted her with no effort, giving the crew his big ol' sunshine grin. Robin gave an amused huff.

"Mr Captain does have a point," Robin remarked. Everyone turned confusedly at her. "We might need a doctor on call if the situation becomes unfavorable, so having Mr Doctor would be the best option. Carrying Miss Bell would be the best solution," she winked. Luffy nodded with a "yosh".

"Maybe we should give her to Chopper, so she's always with a doctor." Usopp suggested. Though Luffy ignored him and started walking away with Tani in his arms.

"Let's go! I wanna find treasure!" Luffy chanted. Everyone in the crew sighed but jumped into action. Parting ways, the Merry team boarded the boat with determination. While the El Dorado team caught up with their cheery captain and flustered tracker.

...

"If you wanted a walking stick, you should have given Tani to someone else," Zoro sighed to the whining captain. Chopper was running around with a large stick he found, excitedly smacking and poking things with it.

"But Zoro," Luffy droned, elongating all the 'o' sounds in the first mates name. Tani just sighed and pushed herself out of Luffy's hold. Landing on the uneven ground rather ungracefully but she was still on both feet.

"Go grab your stick Luffy, I can walk just fi-" Tani started, but Chopper instantly freaked out.

"Tani! You better not be walking!" he scolded. Tani shrank back, her sides folding in on themselves causing her to hiss with pain. Luffy broke the tension when he emerged with a large stick in hand.

"Oi Tani look!" the captain laughed, using the stick to poke her cheek from a distance. Tani would have snickered, maybe even grabbed a stick to poke back. The look on Chopper's face made it very clear that she didn't want to do either of those... Stupid doctors being doctors.

"Luffy! How could you let go of Tani?! What if she got hurt? Do you want your nakama getting hurt?" Chopper scrambled with his distressed and infuriated words. Luffy looked confused.

"Why would I want Tani getting hurt? That would be mean," he said, poking the girl again. Chopper stomped his hoof on the dirt beneath them. Zoro and Robin had paused their movement to look at the commotion.

"I'm going to carry her since you're so irresponsible," Chopper declared, already shifting to heavy point so he could hold Tani securely. Luffy had other plans.

He ducked down, top half of his body slipping between Tani's legs. He lifted upwards, his arms clamping around her legs. A messy piggyback ride. Tani flailed her arms around before wrapping them tightly around Luffy's head. The captain laughed, Tani was getting real sick of this injury.

Chopper gasped and sputtered, though a sympathy pat on the shoulder from Zoro calmed his simmering rage.

"Treasure! Treasure!" Luffy chanted, waving his stick around excitedly. Tani swayed with every step the man took. His grip on her legs secure without being painful... This was too peaceful for a pirate adventure.

As if on cue, the ground shook violently. The solid bluey-green scenery that had followed them for the last 20 minutes revealed itself to actually be a big ass snake! Like bigger than a skyscraper big! The snake hissed at them.

It's large yellow eyes trained on the small group. Tani made me contact and felt her body freeze. A flash of red and yellows, a bonfire, laughter. Two men holding each other in a friendly fashion with drinks in their hands. They spoke but the words muffled and blurred... The voices the same ones from the night before... Who are these men?

Tani didn't have time to think about it, as the snake reared its head back, preparing a strike. A hiss in its throat that echoed through the forest.

Luffy and Co jumped out of the strike zone. Splitting them up, though they were still in sight of one another... That is until the snake swiped it's massive body in a semi circle shape, tossing everyone further backwards.

Tani let out a strangled gasp, grabbing onto Luffy with closed eyes. Her wild locks of hair blinding her from the impending crunch of a landing. Since Luffy was flying backwards, she was going to be the cushion.

"Gum gum balloon!" Luffy called out, flipping around and inflating himself. He landed on the ground with a bounced, air releasing from his mouth in a wheeze, the pair bounced and rolled through the forest in a ball. Finally landing with Luffy under Tani.

The girl coughed up all the dirt dust she inhaled, twigs sticking out of her mess of knotty hair. She found her arms and legs covered in small cuts from trees and rocks. Luffy looked pretty much the same, though he was laughing really hard about it. Tani found herself giving off a bit of a chuckle herself. Her head falling back onto Luffy's back, the pair just relaxing on the ground after such action.

"I will never get used to that balloon thing you do," Tani giggled. Luffy started lifting himself off the floor, Tani clung a little tighter. The boy dusted himself off before grabbing Tani's legs again and treked forward with a hop in his step.

"Hey... Where is everyone?" Tani questioned, her hands flew up to her ears. She couldn't hear any more than the bell around Luffy's neck, and the bell attached to her bag. The others were gone.

"Dunno," Luffy shrugged. "We'll find them later. They're strong," he assures. Bouncing with each step.

The paired walked in a comfortable silence, only the bugs clicking and leaves rustling to fill the empty space.

"The islands in the south are~" Luffy started to sing. His voice was off key as all hell, but it drew Tani's attention. Luffy waved his stick to an imaginary beat. "Hot~"

"Heads all a swoon-swoon~"

"Buncha idiots~"

Tani gave a small chuckle, catching into the tune now, she tapped her hands on Luffy's head and whistled along. Luffy found himself stepping with more spring, like a dance.

"The islands in the north are~" he sings louder, Tani calls out what she thinks the next verse will be.

"Cold~" they sing together, Tani sounded just as off key. Though together with Luffy they cancelled each others garbage voices out.

"Heads all a brr-brr~" Luffy solos. Though Tani joins the next line.

"Buncha idiots~" the pair sing-shout. Their voices echoing back to them in the empty forest.

Well they thought it was empty.

Luffy opened his mouth to keep singing, only to have something shot at him. The captain stopped in his tracks and looked up to find someone that looked kinda familiar. Though Tani couldn't put her finger on it.

"What are you doing here blue sea dweller?" the baritone voice barked. Luffy glared at the guy.

"You ass! You interrupted our song," he yelled with anger. The older man looked a bit perplexed before steeling his expression and rolling his eyes. He shifted the bazooka... Oh! He was the bazooka maniac from yesterday! Luffy seemed to catch that too. "You tried to blow us up yesterday!" he growled.

"You shouldn't be here. This is Shandian business, not yours," the man growled back. His eyes so narrow that the whites of his eyeballs were gone.

Luffy let go of Tani's legs and gently placed her on a tipped over tree. He stepped a couple paces away from her and took a fighting stance.

"You ruined our song, you tried to blow up Merry and my nakama! Apologise right now," Luffy bellowed. Tani's ears lifted up, a deep rumbling noise catching her attention. An all too familiar noise that gave rise to concern. She called out to Luffy, though he ignored her and threw a punch at the bazooka man. The guy dealt blows back, the pair evenly matched.

Tani could hear the noise getting closer, the ground rumbled under her feet. She whipped her bag around her back and practically threw the waver shoes on the ground, clipping them onto her feet at a speed that would probably give her the world record of fastest equipping of footwear ever.

"Luffy! We have to run!" she shouted in vain. The moronic captain ignoring her to fight. She rolled her eyes. Knowing what was coming, she clicked her heels. Using the initial jet burst, she jumped into the air and sailed towards Luffy, her arm in a hooked shape. She flew fast, snagging around Luffy's waist she pulled him with her. Aiming for the cloudy road ahead...

A wild hiss followed the crashing of trees as the giant snake reappeared and reared its head forward. Maw wide open in the middle of a snap. A gaping abyss was all that filled the girls vision as time slowed down. Tani focused herself. She wasn't going to let herself get swallows by a mammoth snake. A hardened gaze, she leaned forward. Trying her best to speed up.

She landed with a thunk on the cloudy road, her torso folded in on itself.

Tani had never felt so much pain in her life.

She choked and spat out liquid red, a silent scream escaped her lips while Luffy's cries fell on deaf ears. The world turned white around her.

Then the world shifted to black.

...

"Ring the bell, ring the bell,"

Tani woke up to the smell of rotting eggs and sweat. The sweat was probably because of Luffy, since she was draped over his back while he walked. Well hopped, there was a lot of broken bits of rock and buildings. Though this looked like a massive cave... When did they get here?

"Whe-" Tani coughed on her dry words. A spittle of red appearing on her hand. Horror filled her eyes. Luffy turned his head around to face her. An almost perfect 180 turn too... Creepy as all hell.

"Shut up, no talking for you," he commanded rudely. Tani went to speak but Luffy moved his hand and clamped his fingers around her lips. Leaving her looking like a duck. A grumpy duck.

"We got lost in a mystery cave," he answered her unasked question. Before continuing his journey through said mystery cave. Tani sulked on his back, tapping on his head to the tune of that little song they were singing not that long ago. Luffy started to whistle it without thinking. His whistling bouncing off the walls of the cave.

The ground rumbled underneath them. Though the rumbling surrounded them, shaking them violently. Luffy toppled fowards but caught himself before he could land harshly and risk jostling his nakama's wound. While she was passed out, he'd checked her wound and found a massive bruise. He also checked her mouth and found that she had just bitten her tongue on impact, the blood she spat coming from that which was a relief to Luffy.

Once the rumbling stopped. Luffy found the flattest surface he could and decided to sit down for a bit. Tani took the time to pull out her lunch. Staring at the mac and cheese that she'd made with Sanji. Luffy leaned over her shoulder with drool.

"That stuff was the best," he pointed. Tani snickered.

"Thank you, Sanji and I made it ourselves," she said proudly. Luffy's mouth dropped comically. Before exploding into excited babbles about how Tani could cook and that she should do it more often because two cooks means double the food. Tani found herself smiling wide. "Here, you can have mine. I've had this meal so many times that I might as well be made of mac and cheese," she joked. Luffy grabbed the lunch box and shoved it in his mouth. He spat it out a second later, the contents cleaned of any food.

"Nah if you were a food you'd be something made of fruit," he commented. Tani blinked at that. Oh right the mac and cheese comment.

"Why's that?" she asked aloud. Luffy looked at her like he was examining every inch of her.

"Um, you smell really nice and sweet. Your hair is fuzzy like a lot of fruits. You bruise very easy. You're colourful" he listed, holding up four fingers. Tani held her hands out for him to stop.

"That's enough of that," she huffs. Pulling out her water bottle to take a swig of it. It was refreshing on her parched throat. She staggered to get up, dusting herself off with a sheepish grin. "How about we get going. El Dorado won't find itself," Tani said. Luffy tilted his head.

"Oh! City of gold is called El dorado where I come from," Tani corrected herself. Luffy let out an "Ohhh" before jumping to his feet and scooping Tani into his arms. Tani let out a gasp while the ball of energy she called her captain started running forwards.

"Let's find Golrado!" he cheered. Tani barked a laugh.

...

It had been what felt like hours before something interesting happened... Mainly the whole cave switched from horizontal to vertical. There was also the sound of three new voices screaming in horror that echoed through the caves walls.

Luffy landed first. Inflating like a balloon to catch not only Tani but... Nami? Gan fall and his bird. There was also a little girl with red hair and a brown dress.

"Nami?!" Tani called out, seeing the red head filled her with confusion. "Aren't you meant to be on Merry? Where's Usopp and Sanji?" she questioned. Nami rubbed her head and saw Tani. Her eyes widened.

"What are you doing in a giant snake?!" she shrieked. Tani and Luffy looked at her, than each other, than her again.

"WAIT WHAT?!" Tani screamed. Gan fall got back up and checked on the little girl.

Tani and Nami spent the next couple of minutes catching up on what's been happening. From the fact that Tani and Luffy had been inside the giant snake for the last couple hours... That explains why her clothes started to tear easier, as well as the bad smell.

Nami also explained that Sanji and Usopp were on the Merry, resting from an attack. Both men having been electrocuted by none other than god himself. Tani gasped.

Apparently right now, Zoro and a bunch of dudes were fighting at the base of Enel's tower. Chopper was knocked out, Robin was missing and now Nami knew where Luffy and Tani were.

Tani recounted what happened to her and Luffy, from being split up, to the attack from bazooka guy (Nami informed her that his name was Wyper) and lastly her passing out from the pain of her injury. Nami smacked Tani upside the head for her reckless actions, but hugged her around the shoulders with relief at seeing her nakama safe.

"So how do we get out of this snake?" Tani asked. She regrets her question when Luffy decides to speak now.

"That's obvious." he said matter-of-factly. "We just gotta find the butt and have the snake p-" Tani clapped and hand over his mouth, Nami bonked him on the head. Both girls shivered with disgust at the images that popped into their minds.

"How about we just go through the mouth again? Do snakes have a uvula?" Tani questioned. Nami shook her head, not knowing the answer.

"How about we just fly out?" Gan fall suggests. Pointing at Pierre and Nami's waver. Tani looks at her shoes and nods.

"I'll take Aisa," Nami declared. The until then, quiet girl gives a grunted nod. Before hopping on the waver with Nami, holding her waist tight. Gan fall mounted Pierre. Tani was going to ask Luffy if he wanted to piggyback off her, but he was hopping onto Nami's waver. She shrugged and started to stretch her stiff legs.

"Ready?" Gan fall calls out. The girls and Luffy let out a "Ready!"

*click*

The three of them went flying forward. Tani jumped and flew over all the destroyed ruins. Nami glided swiftly around and over them. Gan fall was just flying steady. The vibrations of hissing and spitting got louder and louder, Tani felt her ears twitching. They drew closer.

Closer

Was that light she could see?

It was!

"Almost there!" Gan fall called out.

Shit!

"Gan fall no!" Tani shouted. The old man looked at her confused. Only to have the snake shake upwards violently. Tani was tossed forwards, flying out of the snakes open maw with a scream. The ground approached fast and her balance was off. She spun around and round, the world a blur of blues, greens and whites.

Tani felt arms curl around her, the clinking of metal armour pinched her skin. She clicked her heels so she wouldn't launch Gan fall off Pierre. The man and his bird landed on the ground. A massive ruined temple that wouldn't look out of place in an Indian Jones movie greeted her eyes.

Tani blinked up at Gan fall.

"Where's? Where's Nami and Luffy?" she said airily. Her voice wind whipped. Gan fall shook his head. Tani sighed. They were going to be ok... She knew they would.

Tani shot up. The crackling of electricity deafened her ears.

For the second time today. Her whole world fizzled into being completely white. Tani's eyes closed, hands covering her ears and tears filled her eyes from the painful noise.

The ground underneath her broke apart, gravity once again curling itself around her. Dragging her towards the ground below. Tani forced her eyes to open, she wasn't going to let herself pass out again. Her massive mop of hair shielded her view. So she failed to notice the swordsman that dived towards her.

Zoro managed to hook Tani under his arm, Chopper's unconscious body in the other. Tani lifted her head to face the smug looking first mate. She smiled brightly, knowing she would be safe.

They landed with a ground crushing thunk. The brick underneath them shattering under their weight. Zoro and Tani looked forward. There was another ruined temple, because you can't have enough of those now can you? Robin looked at them wide eyed, well there's Robin. Behind her though was a man, he floated cross-legged with orange baggy pants that kinda looked like McHammer. Though his face screamed Eminem.

"Hmm," he sighed. His eyes looking over everyone. "This is too many, there can only be five of us. Yet there's seven here" he said with a bored tone. His eyes lazy, only to widen slightly when landing on Tani. Though she was busy taking Chopper from Zoro so she could step back from the fight that would certainly occur.

Gan fall, Robin, Zoro and Wyper stood there with malice. Glaring daggers at the 'God' before them. Tani held Chopper close. Enel didn't take his eyes off her.

"Interesting," he smirked. Though turned his attention back to aggressive participants of his survival game.

"Let's begin the culling shall we?"


	25. Chapter 25

"Let's begin the culling shall we?"

Those words echoed back to Tani as she watched her friends, foes and this bastard stand off (though Enel was floating so is that a float off?).

Chopper clutched in her arms, Tani slowly stepped backwards. She wouldn't keep her eyes off of Enel. The man was far too dangerous, and she didn't think she'd be as lucky as the man struck by lightening 7 times, in terms of survival.

Then she heard it.

A bells singing called her. It wasn't the three that Zoro had on his swords, not the one Robin had dangling from her neck, not Chopper's which hung from his healthy antler.

No.

This was Nami, who was shaking the bell as hard as she could when she caught sight of Tani. The tracker had to keep her smile from widening at the sight of the navigator. She didn't want to give away her nakamas presence.

"Who's it going to be? Which two of you will lose this survival game?" Enel chuckled. Tani found herself staring in awe at the sight of her companions plus Wyper, pointing their weapons at their common foe. Enel gave an eye roll, his hand curling under his cheek while he looked at them with boredom.

"Foolish mortals, you couldn't defeat me if you tried. I'm the only one who can guide you to Fairy Vearth, to salvation," he sighed. Bobbing in the air. Tani shuffled towards Nami while Enel looked away from her. She was going to hand Nami, Chopper so she could make a run for it. A feeling in Tani's gut told her that she had no reason to fear Enel's wrath.

"Take care of him," Tani whispered. Carefully exchanging the doctors care to that of Nami. The red head nodded. Her brown eyes screaming at Tani to not be dumb. Tani gave a nod and left her. Walking back to the semi-circle of people. Enel was still monologuing.

"People living in the sky? It's unnatural, mortals shouldn't be walking among the Gods." the god claimed. Eyes scanning them all, as if picking out who he's going to remove. "It's my duty to set the natural order," he smirked. Eyes landing on the twitching of Gan falls lance.

"You don't get to decide that!" Gan fall declared angrily, charging forward with his metal lance! Metal that conducted electricity. The man was as good as fried. Enel didn't even flinch, just lifting a finger and pointing a concentrated stream of electricity into the old man. He dropped down smoking and charred. Tani let out a strangled gasp, her hand covering her mouth to shut herself up. Enel turned his gaze back to her with a smug look.

"You should all be honoured that I'd even consider bringing you to the promised land." Enel boomed. He twirled a finger around one of his... Oh my lord are those his ear lobes?! Gross!

"One down, one more to go. Who's it going to be?" the electric demon questioned. He floated closer to the group. Robin straightened her back, taking on a nonchalant persona, though Tani could feel the tension in her voice, Zoro looked just as aware of this change.

"Kami-sama," she said gracefully. That was a title Tani had never heard of. Kinda sounded like something from Dragon ball... God? She couldn't remember it's been a while since she watched any of the episodes.

"It wouldn't be wise to destroy the sky islands, you still need the golden bell after all," she reasoned. Enel narrowed his gaze at her, floating close to her. His nose practically touching hers. Though she kept her cool. Tani and Zoro tensed up, ready to strike at the bastard if he laid a finger on her.

"You know," Enel said coldly. His fingers shot forward and wrapped around the woman's throat, Robin gasped and sputtered for air. Enel sent a powerful volt into her neck. Her body spazzed out, limbs twitching as she felt the electricity course through her body. Robin passed out before she could hear him finish. "I hate manipulative women like you," he snides before dropping her still twitching body to the ground.

Tani screamed, frozen on the spot. Zoro wasted no time charging at the lightening God. Swords drawn by his sides. Though a blur of tan and red passed him.

Wyper took action, shooting past Tani on his waver shoes. He kicked forward, landing a blow on Enel! How?! How did he hit him? Was he made of electricity in the same vain as Smoker was made of smoke? Or Ace was made of fire. Was this a devil fruit or was he really a God?

Wyper wrapped his legs around Enel's waist. His palm being held out towards the gods chest. Wyper's other hand held the base of his wrist. Bracing for the recoil of the reject dial in his palm. A dial that was so powerful that he wouldn't survive the blow.

"Not even a god like you could survive this," Wyper glared. Enel gave him a challenging gaze. "Seastone and the full force of a reject dial, this game of yours is over,"

"A reject dial? You know you'll die too?" Enel teased. Wyper smirked.

"For my ancestors, it'll be worth going down in history as a god killer" Wyper remarked before pressing the dial into Enel's chest and filling the world with white. Tani flew backwards at the wind force that erupted from the dials impact. Enel and Wyper flew away from one another. Wyper landing beside Tani in a heavily injured state. While Enel laid further away, still as a board.

Tani crawled over to the now unconscious Wyper, her head quickly lowering to his chest. A very very unsteady heart beat could still be heard. She sighed with relief. Then noticing his very disfigured arm, looking away before it made her ill.

She stood up weakly, her side protesting her every move. Tani walked over to Zoro and Robin, Zoro was moving Robin into a more comfortable position. Nami peaked out of her hiding spot.

The red head peered over after the explosion of the reject dial. She placed Chopper in Robin's lap, the knocked out nakama all resting their injuries away. Nami had checked both their pulses, they were a little shaky but stable. Tani leaned against Nami with a tired sigh. Her heart racing in her chest, something electric in the air left her feeling uneasy.

*pulse*

Tani flinched, turning towards the still body of Enel... No it wasn't still...

*pulse*

His chest jerked upwards. Falling back down to the ground like he'd never moved. Nami stared with equal fear. Tani turned back towards Wyper. Zoro followed Tani.

*pulse*

She ran to Wyper's downed self, sliding on the ground, scraping her knees while her hands launched forward to unlatch his wavers. They were the only thing she'd seen actually make contact with Enel. They must have been laced with that sea stone stuff.

*pulse*

She ripped the unclipped shoes off, making work on her own. She had no time to waste.

"Give me one of those! Now!" Zoro yelled, Tani shoved one of the seastone shoes into Zoro's hand. The swordsman made a run for Enel.

The clicking of Nami's clima-tact assembling crossed Tani's ears.

*pulse*

Zoro's feet slammed into the ground. Tani removed one of her shoes.

*pulse*

Zoro jumped and let out an angered war cry, a choir of echoed cries followed. Tani slid the new shoe on.

"..."

The pulsing stopped. The air went static. Enel chuckled. Tani whipped her head around to find that Zoro was caught around the wrist, suspended in the air with the sea stone in hand. Enel looked up at him.

"That nasty little tricks not going to work this time," he smirked. Sending a powerful shock through Zoro's arm that sent the man into a twitching fit akin to Robins only moments ago. Zoro's eyes rolled back, his mouth agape as he twitched and smoked. Nami let out a whimper. Enel faced the two girls. Tossing Zoro to the side like a doll.

"It appears that there's only two of you left," he smirked. Like he hadn't literally just jump started his heart not even 5 seconds ago. Tani stalked up to Nami's side, her hands in her pockets to loop her yo-yo's around her fingers. She wasn't going down without a fight.

"Don't think you can defeat me mortal girl," he sneered at Nami, who was quivering on the spot. Tani blinked at that. That wasn't a plural. He was referring to Nami and Nami alone.

"Are you saying I can then?" Tani remarked with way more spunk than she probably should have. Enel instantly shifted his attention to her. She kept her hands in her pockets. Waiting for the right moment.

"Of course not, but you yourself aren't mortal are you?" he stated. Tani was taken aback by this. He continued, "That or you're lack of life force is a technique that you've learnt from the gods themselves," he whispered, floating ever so close to her ear that she felt her body shiver.

"I never would have thought someone would figure it out so soon," Tani snickered. What the hell was she saying?! She prayed she wasn't digging herself into a big hole, "Then again I never should doubt a future dweller of uh... Tatooine," she said smugly. Oh Luke Skywalker please protect her stupid ass.

"Tatooine?" Enel questioned. Tani gasped in fake shock. Turning to Nami.

"He hasn't heard of Tatooine. Can you believe it?" she directed to Nami. Who snapped into character flawlessly.

"And to think, he planned on taking us there," she joined. Tani put an arm around Enel's shoulder, kinda surprised she didn't phase through him. Then again she didn't phase through Ace in Alabasta.

"What was it you were calling it? Fairy Vearth?" Tani asked. Enel went to open his mouth but Tani interrupted him. "We actually call it Tatooine, Miss Nami over here is actually my assistant in guiding those back to the promised land. Isn't that right Nami?" Tani winked her way. Nami gave a nod. Enel was blinking with confusion.

"Of course I knew that! I was just testing you two," Enel pouted like a child. Tani had to hold back a snicker. Now she just needed him to lower his guard some more.

"We were just on our way back home, can we take you up on that offer? To take us back to Tatooine?" Tani asked. Batting her eyelashes. Enel huffed and turned from the two girls, walking away. The girls turned to each other, nodding to one another before following behind him.

"Oh hold on a second!" Tani called out, Enel and Nami turned to look at her. She ran over to Zoro, whispering a sorry to him as she took the sea stone shoe out of his unconscious grasp. "A gift for myself, I don't get to come to this world very often." Tani smiled sweetly. Enel narrowed his gaze at her while she switched the shoe in her hand with the non-matching waver. She gave a lazy salute and ran back to the pair.

"Let's continue shall we?"

...

"Did you have to bring that clunky piece of junk with you?" Enel groaned to Nami. The red head had brought her waver scooter, planning to use it to escape if the situation turned sour.

"It's a souvenir for my sister, she happens to like the sky islands very much, and since they're going to be destroyed I thought I'd bring home something nice," Nami huffed dramatically. Tani was glad the tunnelling cave they were in was dark because she was grinning like a cat.

The tunnel was a twist of branching pathways, forks in the road that the girls couldn't see properly in such a dark place. How would someone else find them? How would they escape if they too would get lost?

An opening at the end of the tunnel filled Tani's eyes with too much light. She squinted while her vision readjusted to the new setting. She found herself staring in awe at the sight before her.

A massive wooden boat, akin to the models she saw in collectors stores back home, or images of Noah's ark in biblical picture books. Actually it looked a lot like Noah's ark, the biblical parallels were uncanny.

The boat had a lot of gold on it, making Nami's eyes sparkle at the sight. Tani elbowed her so she would calm down. They had an act to keep up.

Enel zips onto the ark in a flash of electricity. Standing in a godly way while he waited for the girls to board the boat. Tani and Nami spoke in hushed tones.

"That boat is going to fly, look at the propellers on the sides." Tani whispered. Nami nodded in agreement, tightening her grip on the waver. "We're going to have to make a jump for it before the ark is too high up," Tani concluded.

"We should aim for the Merry, in terms of direction," Nami stated. "The closer we are to our ship, the faster we can escape," Tani nodded and the pair boarded the boat.

"Welcome to the Ark Maxim," Enel announced, his arm making a sweep motion of the boats massive deck. Tani gasped with 'awe'.

"What a magnificent boat! Where's the crew?" Tani questioned. It would take a crew to pilot such a massive craft, especially if it was flying. Enel simply chuckled and waltzed over to a massive generator found at the front of the boat, he placed his hands on it and crackled to life, powerful volts of raw energy lit the structure up. He was charging the propellers himself!

"Impressed?" he smirked. Nami started clapping loudly, Tani let out a whistle. The propellers started to whirl to life. Tani had to swallow the bile that slid up her throat... Nami was gonna have to drag her off this boat because she could not willingly jump.

Something suddenly changed in the air. It felt... Heavy? No that's not it... Scary? No no not that either...

The sound of slapping sandals were ever so faint, as was the roaring of a bell. Tani's smile grew.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Tani stalled. "It's Tatooine tradition to sing a song before take off," Tani smiled. Enel looked at her with tested patience.

"Oh don't worry, only the leading female must sing it before take off," she said, turning to face the tunnels mouth. She cleared her throat and in the nicest voice she could.

"The islands in the south are~!"

She projected her voice.

"Hot~!"

The slapping of sandals got louder.

"Heads all a swoon swoon~!"

His bell called out to her loud and clear.

"Buncha idiots~!"

She finished the verse, and Luffy appeared. The little red haired girl, Aisa was on his back. Tani's heart fluttered at the sight of Luffy. He was pissed off, but the relief at seeing Nami and herself was evident. Enel let out a growl.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he said angrily, zapping beside Tani with anger on his features. Tani blinked with feigned ignorance.

"My song must have been too powerful!" Tani gasped. Turning to Enel with apologies spilling from her mouth.

Enel's sceptical gaze didn't falter, he was towering over the girl. Her skin started to sweat while she spewed as many empty words to appease the God. He moved quickly, grabbing her around her throat and lifting her off the ground. She flailed and panicked, being suspended in the air setting her internal alarms into overdrive.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF TANI!" Luffy's angered roar bounced off the walls of the hollowed cave. Tani turned to stare at him, but he was gone in a flash. His arm whipping forward to throw him onto the ark.

Luffy landed with a thunk, fists crackling as he balled them. His face screaming murderous intent. Tani had to warn him about Enel's mantra. Yet all she could muster was garbled spit. Luffy's got even angrier. Enel laughed in the captains face, tightening his grip on Tani's throat.

"I don't need her, she's of no use to me." Enel said smugly. Tani could already feel a change in the air. Now Tani has never been tazed in her life, she's seen it happen to others and the experience looks about as pleasant as going to the dentist. Tani in all her panic, decided now would be the best time to open her mouth and chomp down on his still solid flesh. Her teeth sinking into his hand, clenching down as hard as she could.

Enel yelped at the bite. He lit up like a Christmas tree, sending a painful volt of electricity through Tani's body. She'd never felt anything like it. How would you even describe a feeling like this? Her limbs seized, twitching without her consent. She herself couldn't move, and everything hurt.

"I SAID GET YOUR HANDS OFF TANI!" Luffy screamed, running forward with his fists already trailing behind him. "Gum gum!" he started, Tani gasped out an agonised whimper. "BAZOOKA!" Luffy shot his hands forward.

Tani clenched her eyes shut. She didn't want to see her captain befall the same fate... So why the hell had the shocking stopped? Enel had staggered backwards, losing his grip on Tani. The girl dropped to the ground in a ball of fidgeting limbs. Nami ran to her side, while Luffy stood in front of them. Blocking the girls from Enel's path.

"Pshh, lucky shot," Enel sneered. Staring at Luffy with malice. Luffy bounced on his feet, fists up and ready to go. He whipped a kick. Enel stood there with a smug grin, his body frizzling with electricity.

Luffy hit him square in the chest, knocking the God to back. Enel's jaw dropped, eyes bulging out of his head as he stared in horror at the man that could actually hit him.

"How the hell is Luffy hitting him?" Tani coughed. Looking up at her captain. Luffy went in for another kick, this time Enel tried to send a volt of electricity up Luffy's leg. It just frizzled out and Enel was once again launched backwards.

"What are you?" Enel gasped, stepping back from Luffy. The younger man kept his stance.

"I'm a rubber man," Luffy spat. Going to take another swing, which Enel evaded.

Rubber... Rubber... OH RUBBER!

"Rubber nullifies electricity! Luffy's immune to Enel!" Tani whisper shouted to Nami. "We use rubber on power cords back home, because rubber doesn't conduct electricity,"

"Rubber?! What is rubber?!" Enel shouted. Dodging another one of Luffy's attacks with ease.

"It means I'm gonna kick your ass," Luffy stated with conviction. Tani's couldn't look away. Everything about Luffy just glowed, everything about him was amplified... Maybe Enel really did fry her brain...

"You may be immune to my electricity, but that doesn't mean I can't eradicate vermin like you through other means." Enel smirked. Zapping over to the golden throne and pressing his palm on the back, he fired up his devil fruit and super heated the gold. Pulling forth a massive staff.

Tani called bullshit on him being able to heat the gold up that much. This is an adventure movie though, plot holes and gaps in logic were expected... But seriously what the hell!

Enel was fast, he managed to smack Luffy around with the staff. Luffy would make to dodge but Enel would move to attack. Luffy was being overwhelmed with attacks.

"I can read your every move, see all your attacks before you even attempt it." Enel taunted. Luffy growled at him. Launching himself into the air and shouting.

"Gum gum gattling!" Luffy's fists launched into a flurry of attacks. Enel evaded and twirled around the incoming fists with the grace of an ice skater.

"Told you so," Enel smirked. Luffy was getting frustrated. He landed back on the deck with a thud. His next action being rather amusing. Luffy rubbed at his head, thinking hard about what to do next so he could kick this jerks ass. The veins in his head fit to burst from all the strain. Steam practically poured from his ears until...

*pop*

Luffy's entire face went blank, his eyes lazily lidded. His body floating like paper whenever Enel made an attack. Luffy dodged Enel with ease, his expression as blank as his brain.

Oh! He wasn't thinking. Utilising his natural instincts, Luffy could dodge all of Enel's attacks. Though he wasn't making any attempts at fighting back.

Tani thought this would be a great time to try an get back onto her feet... Emphasise on tried. She jittered and wobbled, Nami made to protest but Tani put a finger over her own mouth and motioned for the navigator to hush.

Enel was too up his own ass to pay attention to Tani, who was hyping herself up to make a move. The advice that Luffy had given her was set on loop in her brain.

"dont think too much, just act,"

So she did.

The girl launched forward, her feet in front of her so they'd make first contact. Enel was facing the opposite way, his attention all on hitting Luffy (and failing miserably). Tani's heels smacked into Enel exposed back. The man instantly dropped down, his body weakened at the presence of sea stone? That's what Wyper had called it.

Luffy snapped back to his regular self. He looked at Tani with awe as she wrapped her legs around Enel's torso. Her arms around his neck in a choke hold. Tani felt her side burst into pain, her tense muscles making it hard to hold the position she was in.

The captain wasted no time, he rushed forward. Keeping an eye on Tani's ever moving location as Enel squirmed to get her off. The straw hat boy didn't want to hit his nakama for a fourth time.

Luffy took aim, his arms flying behind him.

"Gum gum-"

He was interrupted by the sound of the ship rumbling to life. Enel gave a sinister laugh as the ark's propellers whirled quickly. Tani's complexion paled, her eyes instantly closed as her clothes and hair started to float upwards at the high winds. The ground shook and rumbled. She could feel the boat taking off, and she wasn't going to look.

Tani's mistake of closing her eyes however cost her, with Luffy staggered for a moment, Enel took this opportunity to use his golden staff. Slamming it in between his chest and Tani's interlocked limbs. Tani clutched tighter. Though her bruise screamed at her, she bit down on her tongue to stop a scream from bursting out of her throat.

The wind bellowed and shrieked passed the girls ears. Enel continued to pry the girl off of him. The gold of the staff digging into her wrist and ankle bones. It hurt! But she needed to distract him from Luffy.

"Bazooka!"

Luffy finally called out, Tani let go the second a syllable escaped her captains lips. Her back slammed into the wooden decking as Luffy's palms slammed into the Gods chest. Enel was pushed back into his golden throne. Luffy's palms still pushing against him with the might of an angry Luffy... What? That's the scariest thing Tani can think of! She would know!

Enel gave a gasped cough, his mind whizzing to life as it thought a million miles a second. A wicked grin spread wide on the foes face as he swiftly grabbed one of Luffy's hands and electrified it. Obviously it did nothing to Luffy... But that's not what he wanted.

Enel sank backwards into the gold, dragging Luffy's stretched arm in with him. Luffy let out a pained wince as the gold melted around his arm. Enel's laugh echoing around the strawhat crew. Tani didn't think, and ran towards the stretched limb. She grabbed hold of it and gave it a strong (well as strong as she could, the girls been electrocuted, bruised and a whole bunch of other stuff). The yank was enough of a shock to Enel that he let go of the limb.

Luffy's arm returned with a massive ball of gold attached to it. Yet his look of determination was still there.

Enel reemerged from the golden throne, a gold glob melting in his hands. He turned his gaze to meet Tani's own. The girl gulped, choosing to scoot next to Luffy.

"You alright?" Tani said, Luffy nodded. The gold wasn't burning him anymore. Yet she could tell that he'd have stretch marks after this... Can he get stretch marks? That's something Tani wants to know.

Nami stood frozen as she watched Enel charge towards her nakama. She couldn't do anything, clutching onto the handle of her waver while her heart pounded in her chest.

Enel made contact with Luffy's chest. His hand fanned over the young captain's top half, he shoved the straw hat captain backwards. Luffy flailed at the push, his backside landed on the railing of the ark. Tani watched in shared horror with Nami as Enel zoomed forward and swung his staff at their captain, handle-barring him so hard that he broke the wooden railing and began falling over the edge.

Luffy quickly clasped the edging of the ark with his free hand, his knuckles whitened, teeth clenched as he held back any sounds of pain. The massive golden weight pulled on his body, the ark tilted slightly at the imbalance of weight.

Enel in true Lion King fashion, stamped down harshly on Luffy's only hold of the ark. Luffy released involuntarily, his angered cries echoed through the sky. Tani and Nami watched as Luffy descended to Upper-yard.

"Now," Enel said. Tani and Nami looked up like deer's caught in the headlights. The molten glop of gold still danced between his fingers. Tani felt the urge to run... But where to?

The ship swayed, Tani found herself wobbling on the spot. Sickness bubbling up her throat as she remembered how high up she was.

"TANI LOOK OU-"

Electricity and gold filled Tani's vision. A burning sensation clamped around her wrists, cooling down just as quickly as it had appeared. Nami shouted angrily. The sound of her clima-tact clinking together mixed into the dizzying sounds that filled Tani's world.

"Thunder ball tempo!" Nami cast, bubbles of heated and cooled air danced around one another. The small electric balls managed to redirect all strikes that Enel happened to shoot towards the navigator.

Tani blinked the dizzy away and found herself staring at golden hand cuffs around her wrists. She could barely move her hands apart. Her yo-yo's would be out of commission, so really she was out of commission... Unless she could latch onto Enel again but the chances of that happening were slim if not impossible if he keep glaring at her like that.

"Deathpiea has already begun! It's best you two behave." Enel said with victory. His arms wide open, like wings spread from an eagle. He lifted his arms up higher and threw massive bolts of electricity into the air. The clouds grew angry and black, roaring with power that needed to be expelled.

There was no rain that came before the storm of power, exploded. Lightning struck down on both Upper yard and Angel island. Enel laughed manically, feeding the over stuffed clouds with more energy than they could possibly hold. Consuming the fluffy white clouds around them until the sky was nothing but an ocean of black that cried in pain.

Tani wouldn't just stand here and do nothing! What would Luffy do?... Well Luffy would punch the threat, but that wasn't really possible with Tani's current predicament... Luffy was adaptable though, if he couldn't punch it then he would kick it, and Tani did still have her legs.

"Psst"

But if Tani used her legs, she wouldn't be able to run away. She could jump him again but that wouldn't end well because she can't grab him.

"Psst, Tani... Oi,"

She could throw her locked arms around his neck so he can't get rid of her. But she'd need to loop her legs around his waist again in record speed-

"TANI!"

The girl turned around to find Usopp?! How did he get here? Waving at her with Nami beside him. The navigator had slapped a hand around the snipers mouth as he'd yelled a little too loud. Enel turned around with a bored expression.

"Another parasite on my ship," Enel rolled his eyes, but his focus was on Usopp and Nami. Tani took this as a sign from whatever other power there was out there, to make her move.

Nami mounted her waver, clima-tact held under her arm with a serious expression. Tani saw the calculations in her eyes. She was planning to make a break for it.

Usopp wasted no time, he ran and climbed onto the top of the power generator that Enel was using to power the ark. He stood on top of it with his arm held up like a super hero, his brave warrior of the sea persona taking control to mask his terror.

"Oi you big electric phoney!" Usopp taunted, poking his tongue out and pulling down on his eyelid. It was very childish and honestly something Tani would do so she couldn't judge. "Check out my ultimate technique! I can inflict damage on any foe without even moving," he threatened. Enel narrowed his eyes with boredom.

Nami waved Tani over, the girl snuck over. Name whispered the plan, and it was everything that Tani was dreading.

"We're going to jump, Usopp will distract Enel while I find the best angle to do this. There's a cloudy spot next to the massive bean stalk," Nami relayed.

"Bean stalk? What are we gonna find a goose that lays golden eggs?" Tani joked. Nami didn't get it, but that's expected of Tani and her otherworldly thoughts.

"We better get going," Nami said. Tani nodded, silently following behind her nakama while Usopp started to spout declarations and taunts. A rumble coursed through the ark, a stutter that shot Tani's anxiety up. Something was wrong and she knew it wasn't some bout of turbulence. She didn't have much time to think though, before Usopp started using his new technique to cause pain without lifting a finger...

"A needle digs under your toe nail and you kick a wall," Usopp says with no emotion. Tani, Nami and Usopp all shivered at the thought. Tani felt the phantom pains of that in her feet and she wanted to punch Usopp for saying it. At least his technique worked... Just on the wrong people. He tried again.

"Finger nails slowly screeching down a blackboard," Usopp says. Nami freezes to squeal about the simulated pain. Tani starts shaking her head as a means to remove such awful thoughts. Enel looked like he was about to fall asleep with how bored he is.

"USOPP YOUR TECHNIQUE ISN'T WORKING! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP!" Tani shrieks. Usopp does as she says because he wasn't fairing any better. Nami was in position anyway, Usopp just needed to jump down and they'd be out Scott free-

"But what about Sanji?" Usopp panicked with waving arms. He wasn't paying attention to Enel... Nobody was. What was Sanji doing here?! Nami was going to ask unanswered questions, only for Enel to grow impatient and start monologuing again.

"Are you mortals done with your little games? I grow tired of your childish attempts at stopping me," he spoke smugly. Tani rolled her eyes while another bout of shaking rocked the boat. Tani whined and dove for Nami, shoving her face in the girls cushion of a chest. Usopp jumped down to ground level with the girls, worried about their chef who had yet to show up.

"None of you pests are worthy of my generosity," Enel droned, lifting his already sparking hand upwards at the trio. While his other hand covered a yawn, his nonchalant attitude about this whole murder shebang being the reason he didn't notice Sanji casually walking out the only door on the main deck.

Sanji was covered in black grease and sweat that stuck his fringe to his face. A lit smoke was already resting on his lips, he walked towards the trio without even acknowledging Enel. The ship rocked violently, Nami almost toppled over if it wasn't for Sanji's sturdy arms catching her and Tani. Usopp clung to the blonde's arm nervously, Sanji smiled at the three softly.

Enel sneered in annoyance, confused about the ark acting up as well as the addition of one of the weaklings he'd defeated not even an hour ago. Sanji looked up at him with a smirk that could kill with how smug it was.

"Ship troubles?" he stated with a laugh in his tone. The simple phrase filling in the blanks that Tani had yet to answer. So he was inside destroying the ship. What a sneaky bastard, that's our Mr Prince after all.

To say Enel was enraged would be far to eloquent a term. The mad god was down right pissed, a look that rivals Luffy's on a bad day... Tani felt her heart flinch at the thought of Luffy being stuck somewhere with a massive golden ball melted to his arm. Nami snapped her out of her thoughts.

"We all here? Let's go!" she shouted over the sound of something exploding in the bellows of the ark. Enel crackled to life, his whole body engulfed in the furious electricity of his undying hatred. Sanji pulled away from the group, what was that self sacrificing dumbass doing this time-

"Go. I'll distract him," he said, flicking the ash from the tip of his cigarette. Tani removed herself from the safety that was Nami's chest, to stand beside Sanji. He gave her a pleading look, but just like with Alabasta she wasn't going to move.

"Enel can't read my movements, plus I'm wearing shoes that null his electric fruit thingy." she whispered just loud enough for him to hear. The chef let out a sigh, ready to protest again before Tani to cut him off again. "Plus I can fly us off of here," she said absentmindedly, not realising that meant literally jumping off the god damn boat.

Sanji turned to look at Usopp and Nami, who had already boarded the waver. Engine purring to life, Usopp looped his arms around Nami's waist. He nodded at the woman and she nodded back, turning around to fly off.

Enel fired a shot at the escaping duo, though Tani bolted to intercept the electricity with her shoes. She didn't really know if this counted as a part of Enel still but it was worth a shot. Sanji's cry of protest couldn't be heard of the the cackling of lightening striking Tani's foot, which charred the leg up until the knee in sooty black. The girl landed hard on her foot, dropping and rolling with a hiss as her leg twitched.

Nami and Usopp escaped safely, sailing towards the massive bean stalk that Tani was only really noticing now. Sanji stood in front of Tani with a deathly glare, Enel was clicking a spark of electricity to life. Tani smacked her locked hands onto the deck as a way to expel her need to scream bloody murder. She needed just a little bit of time for the shock to leave her system. They could escape soon just a little longer, don't do something dumb Sanji!

Tani's prayers must have been answered because Sanji don't aggro the god, instead he stood still and went the diplomatic route. Speaking to distract the villain before them while Tani recovered.

"Your plans are over, the ark is totally busted on the inside. The ships going down as we speak," he stalled. Enel gave a scoff. "Something funny?" Sanji questioned. An edge to his tone.

"You really thought that my ark would be that easy to destroy? You're more foolish than that creature you call a human woman beside you," he taunted, pointing at Tani. Who only glared while hissing a little at the small jolts that spasmed her leg. Sanji glared daggers at Enel for his insult. Oh for the love of god, don't go all white knight! Please. Come on leg stop twitching!

"What was that? Sorry I couldn't hear you over the bull shit that came dribbling out of your shitty mouth," Sanji sneered, dropping his cigarette on the ground and stomping on it so hard that he broke the wood of the deck. His hands firmly placed in his pants pockets. Tani willed her pain away, just to save her the hassle of hauling Sanji's ass off the boat... Oh shoot the boat!

Tani jumped up onto her feet, her leg still twitchy but she ignored it because she didn't want to be on a crashing sky ship that would hit the ground in god knows how long. She threw her cuffed arms around Sanji's torso, squishing him really close because she was small and small girls have small arms. Sanji was frozen in surprise, his body tensing up. Tani suplexed herself and Sanji over the edge of the boat. The girls eyes tightened shut to the point that it hurt her eyelids.

The pair free-falled towards the cloudy ground below, Sanji shouting over the roar of the wind that whipped their ears. Tani was drawing blanks, her fear locking her whole body up before she could smack her heels together. She clutched Sanji tightly, cutting off his breathing. He coughed and sputtered, trying in vain to get the girl holding onto him to snap out of it and save them both.

Closer and closer

The ground was coming towards them faster and faster. Sanji shut his eyes, awaiting the harsh impact, he's survived worse falls than this... Tani has not.

Tani was screaming internally, her brain commanding she hurry up and click her heels. Yet her body would not move, it refused every command her brain would scream. She was going to die, Sanji would die with her. Oh god she was going to kill Sanji too... Luffy would be so upset... She'd never see Luffy or the others again if she died... Her mum would cry too, she can't have her mother in tears. She has so much she needs to do... So why won't she move! Tears dribbled from her eyes, evaporating as soon as they touched the violent wind that broke their fall.

Sanji leaned back, his head resting on Tani's shoulder. He gave a smile, the kind that said he wasn't upset with her for her failure to act. Tani couldn't die! Not yet! She needs to see her nakama succeed in their dreams! She needs to see them alive and well so they can have a feast after this! So Tani did what she always did when she wasn't sure what to do.

She shut off her brain and let instinct take over. Just like Luffy told her.

Her legs snapped into action, colliding with each other in the heel. Her waver shoes burst to life, jetting the pair towards the cloudy floor faster. She tilted Sanji's weight towards the bean stalk, the man's extra weight pulled them closer at a faster rate. The chef stayed silent, trusting Tani with his life 100%. The girl glared at the base of the bean stalk. That was her target and you bet your ass she was going to survive this.

For her nakama.

She spotted the coloured blobs that were her entire crew plus some extras like Gan fall and Wyper.

For her mother.

They grew more defined, Nami's orange hair, Zoro's blue tank top and swords, robins cowboy hat. Her friends, her nakama.

For herself.

She let out a battle cry. Sticking her feet forward to break the speed of the fall. The crew scurried out of the way as Sanji called out for all of them to "Get the hell outta the way!"

Tani tripped and rolled with Sanji in her arms. It was painful as hell, boney limbs poking into places they shouldn't, flesh squishing into things painfully, the wind being knocked from lungs. All in all 1/5 stars, would never do again.

Sanji pulled himself out of Tani's hold while she was still stunned from the stunt. All her fear rushing back to her, she was mumbling to herself about falling and all that fun junk. Chopper came running to check on the new wounds, Sanji pointing at Tani for the reindeer to check on first.

Chopper instantly dove to examine the charred leg, wiping away the soot that coated it to only find red welts around her foot and the lower half of the calf. Her leg had stopped twitching though so that meant it was unlikely she had permanent damage in the leg.

Next Chopper checked the bruising on her side. Peeling her sweat coated shirt up her ribs to see the massive bruise. It looked the same as before. The little doctor turned to the three who were on the ark with her to ask questions. "Has she put any pressure on the bruise?" he asked with seriousness. Nami nodded. Chopper groaned.

"Will she be OK?" Usopp asked with concern. Chopper turned back to look at the wound, then at the girl who was so freaked out she hadn't even noticed she was being attended to.

"Where's Luffy when you need him," Zoro sighed. Looking at the girl who had curled in on herself. Nami and Usopp looked at her sadly. Robin on the other hand...

The older woman walked over to Tani and crouched beside her. A calming smile on her face as she quietly spoke.

"You know that you've stopped falling right?" she stated. Tani continued whimpering. "So reacting this way is not only weak but it's also going to be your demise." Robin said. Tani didn't stop shaking. "It only gets harder, you have people who rely on you. If you falter once, it could mean the loss of someone who means a lot to you." her voice holding experience. That one sentence seemed to hit, as Tani slowly started coming back. Robin continued.

"Mr Captain and the rest of the crew. You could lose them all if you don't push your fears aside." she finished. Her brilliant blue eyes hiding her sympathy. Tani stared at her with shaking green eyes. The woman's words having an effect on the younger girls.

"I can't... I can't be weak... Everyone is s-so strong and I'm so weak," Tani wept softly. Robin gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm tired of being a burden. I want to get better, I want to be better," Tani choked. Lifting her head off the cloudy surface below her. Shaking on her adrenaline fueled arms, pushing herself to get up.

Robin removed her hand, watching silently as the girl somewhat pulled herself back together. The rest of the crew watched silently. Not daring to ruin the moment.

Tani, now standing on her two shaking legs. Turned to look at her crew with a big grin, she was still terrified but she wanted to push that onto the back burner. Usopp and Chopper ran and hugged her tightly, only stopping when Tani squeaked at the contact on her bruise. Zoro and Robin were smiling. Nami on the other hand was staring in the direction of a very loud, angry and down right Luffy like roar.

All eyes followed in suit, staring at the birds flying away from the disturbance. Trees rattled or tipped over as the cry grew louder. The crew collectively grew excited as they felt their captain approaching. The little red haired girls voice could be heard calling for Luffy to calm down. An action that was in vain because this is Luffy.

Then he appeared.

His red vest and blue shorts were in tethers, holes and tears exposing his roughed up skin. Dirt smeared all over his arms, legs and face. Hat tipped back to rest on his back. Hair a mess of twigs and leaves. The expression on his face went from down right murderous, to angered but relieved at the sight of his beloved nakama. The golden ball was still melted into his arm.

That's our Luffy.

He charged towards them. The crew was ready to finally be back together again.

"Where earlobes guy? Did you guys kick his ass before I could?" Luffy asked as soon as he was within range to speak without shouting. Sanji responded for everyone.

"We didn't. Nami, Usopp, Tani and I had to escape. I destroyed the inside of the ark but I don't know if that was enough to stop the bastard," Sanji relayed. Luffy nodded, turning to face his other crew mates. Everyone was roughed up and tired, dirt and soot caked skin, bruises and scratches adorned them all.

"Enel won't leave without the golden bell," Robin spoke up. "He told me earlier in the lost city under the bean stalk." she confirmed. Luffy nodded.

"Ring the bell," a voice whispered to Tani again. Her eyes widened. Who was it?

"Then we need to kick his ass before he gets the bell," Luffy declared. The crew all agreed. Robin pointed to a spot in the clouds.

"Ring the bell," the other voice whispered to her. Tani grabbed at her hair. Was this the bell? Did she need to ring it?

"The bell is located up there. It's too far away from the bean stalks stem." Robin informed. Zoro huffed.

"Just cut the thing down, make a bridge, get the bell so Enel can't have it." he said as if it was as simple as that.

"Perfect! Zoro's so smart," Luffy agreed. Everyone with more than half a brain cell groaned. Yet that was the best plan they had.

Tani could hear the voices chanting at her to ring that bell. Ring the bell! She turned to Luffy, who stood with his free arm on his hip. Starring up at the bean stalk with a smile.

"Yosh! Let's cut this bean stalk down!"

"Aye aye captain!" the crew chanted back.


	26. Chapter 26

Luffy had given the order to cut down the bean stalk that was the width of a large barn and the length of a sky scraper... How the... You know what? It's Luffy and his crew, they'll always figure out how to make the impossible, possible.

"So how are we doing this? Do we just... Cut it?" Usopp pondered out loud, hand on his chin in thought.

"Well we need it to fall at a certain angle if we wanna get Luffy to that bell." Tani responded out loud, currently sitting on the cloudy ground while Chopper applied some more of that relaxing cream onto her bruise.

"Oh I could create a tempo cloud that's strong enough to blow it in the right direction," Nami chimed. Her clima-tact already clinking together as she grinned. Zoro and Sanji stood up together.

"I'll cut the bean stalk down," they said in unison, only to glare at the other and start arguing over who would cut it down. Shouts of "What are your shitty little swords gonna do?" and "More than your legs you moron! Swords actually cut things," you know, your classic Zoro and Sanji shenanigans.

"You can't do that." came the tired, gruff voice of Wyper called out. Attention was turned to him. "The bell is an important relic of my peoples history. Defended by the legendary warrior Calgara," he declared.

The name seemed to trigger something in Tani's head. She clutched at her forehead as flashes of a red haired man with tan skin filled her thoughts. He stood before a tall man with a round nose and hazelnut hair. The men smiled at one another.

"I'll ring the bell everyday, until you return again," The red head... Calgara, declared to the hazelnut man. The other smiled with excitement in his features.

Then the flash ended. Wyper continued his monologue.

"The bell is what my people have fought for. Ever since our land was thrown into the sky... So that one day, we could ring it again. To ring it and declare to the world that we're still here." he said with a solemn expression. "So that Noland would know that we're still here," he declared.

And that did it.

The flash hit Tani again, she toppled forward with her head in her hands. The flashes of a life that didn't belong to her. The lives of Calgara and Noland, friends against all odds, who loved and cared for each other like brothers. Their ups and downs, the golden bell... Ring the bell... RING THE BELL!

"We need to ring that bell!" Tani screamed. Turning to her companions, who looked at her with shock. "Noland the lair! Cricket needs to know that the city of gold is here! Ring the bell and Calgara and Noland will find peace." she claimed. The whispers of "ring the bell" grew in volume, more voices joining the chants.

Wyper was the one confused by the girls ramblings.

"You know of Noland?" he asked with awe. She nodded.

"Noland was seen as a liar by his people, because the city of gold was missing. He was executed for his "lies" by the king of his land. He never stopped claiming that the city was real." Tani said solemnly. "We need to ring that bell," she repeated. Wyper agreed, even if it meant getting the help of these outsiders.

"Wait... What's the stalk going to land on though?" Tani questioned. Questioning sounds escaped her crew mates throats. Tani's hands moved while she spoke, though her arms were still cuffed. "Well there's no way that the stalk will land on anything once it's cut. So if Luffy wants to get to the bell, he would have to run faster than humanly possible." she paused, because Luffy probably could do that. "Well humanly possible by this world's standards. He'd also need to consider the massive golden ball melted into his arm." she concluded. The crew looked to Luffy for answers.

"What if he was already at the top of the stalk?" Usopp suggested. Nami shook her head.

"It would take too long to get him up there, by the time he's at the top, Enel would have destroyed Skypiea." Nami countered. As if on cue, a massive storm burst to life. Bigger than any storm that had come so far. Echoes of Enel's laughter could be heard bouncing like thunder. Luffy narrowed his gaze.

"Tani," he turned to her. The girl looked up at him and nodded in acknowledgement. "your shoes can fly right?" he asked. She nodded again. "You'll fly me up really fast, that's the only way I can kick his ass," he concluded. The crew barked at that. Nami, Usopp, Sanji and Chopper shouted at him about Tani's fear of heights. Arguing on the girls behalf. Luffy ignored them though and waited for Tani to answer.

The girls brain ran at a million miles. She wanted to do it, knew she had to if she wanted to save not only her crew, but the hundreds of people on angel island and upper yard, to ring that bell and quell the voices that begged for the crews help.

However she still froze at the thought of purposely throwing herself into the sky... It was frightening, her blood ran cold and cold shivers danced up her spine.

But how will I ever get stronger? She pondered the thought. She knows it's going to be terrifying, but what has she got to lose? If she doesn't do it then her friends will die. If she does do it, she has a safety net that is her wavers. She has no reason not to do it. So before her brain can protest any further.

"I'll do it," she said firmly. The four crew members that argued against the idea had to pick up their jaws from the ground. Chopper whined about her wounds, then Usopp pointed out a bigger issue.

"What about your hands? Those cuffs are melted on-" he couldn't finish before Zoro casually walked over to Tani and whipped out a sword.

To say everyone was screaming would be a lie (Luffy, Zoro and Robin didn't react in panic). The rest protested and shrieked when he slashed in her direction. Tani had her eyes slammed shut with fear, she trusted Zoro with her life... But this was still terrifying! She felt like a show girl performing with a magician that would cut her in half. The sound of the swordsman sheathing his blade with a click, alerted her to the end of this ordeal. Her eyes slowly lifted to see that her wrists were still coated in the gold, but they weren't connected anymore. So she had free mobility, though a little heavy and slow.

Zoro smirked at the panicking crew before turning to Usopp, Sanji and Robin. "So we cutting this thing down or what?" he spoke with authority. Taking control of the situation like a true second in command. The group nodded and followed after Zoro.

Nami turned to Tani and gave her a concerned look. The younger of the girls steeled her expression and sighed. About to speak when Nami cut her off.

"Stay safe Tani," she smiled sweetly. Giving Tani an extra boost of confidence. The red head turned to run away, she needed to start forming that wind tempo if this was going to work.

Chopper trotted towards Tani, a doctors glare on his features. He then turned to Luffy. "You better make sure she doesn't hurt herself, or else." he threatened. Luffy barked with laughter before promising to keep her safe. Chopper gave one last instruction, "You need to push the golden ball up, if Luffy holds onto your waist it could cause major damage." Tani agreed and with that, chopper ran off to help knock the stalk over. Leaving just Tani and Luffy.

The captain looked at her with a mix of great pride and determination. Tani was nervous, she wasn't even trying to hide that fact... More importantly...

"Wait but I'll be faster than you? This wouldn't work would it?" she feared. Luffy shrugged.

"It'll work," he says simply. Tani let out a shaky breath. Her nerves deciding to lock up her limbs. Luffy held out his free hand, slipping it into her own hand. The warmth of the gesture managing to break the short lived spell. He walked her towards their starting position, the girl felt her cheeks burn as Luffy squeezed her hand in comfort.

They stood at the base of the stalk, Zoro and the others already making work on the massive plant. Nami was channelling some dangerously strong winds already. Tani felt her stomach flip with nervousness, it felt like the start of a relay race during a sports carnival. This wasn't some silly little race to earn a blue ribbon though, no this was a matter of life and death.

"Ring the bell!"

Tani steeled herself. She had a job to do.

Luffy let go of her hand and walked in front of her, the massive golden ball on his arm was now what filled her view. Tani breathed in slowly, placed her hands on the ball and breathed out. Focus on the goal Tani, stay calm and focus.

"Ready?" she called out to Luffy. The captain remained still, his breathing levelled. He widened his stance, getting ready to bolt.

"On my mark!" Nami called out, the wind of her creation slowly starting to grow harder to control.

"Three!"

Tani widened her footing, she knew she'd need to run for the first couple of moments in order to gain enough speed. Right foot forward. Left foot back.

"Two!"

Luffy looked like he was sweating, his skin taking on a slightly redder tone. His straw hat flipped behind him.

"One!"

We can do this!

"GO!"

Nami threw the wind at the stalk at the same time as Zoro and Co landing the final blow to the bean stalk. It tilted, as if in slow motion. Luffy bolted, Tani following behind while pushing the heavy ball of gold. She put as much pressure of her stomach muscles and arms, but the bruise still hurt like hell. She had to hold back a wince, she can whine later.

Luffy built up speed, his skin growing redder and redder, hell he looked like he was steaming! Wind whipped the transparent wisps of steam from his skin, leaving a bright glow of pinky-red on his normally sun-kissed skin. He was a lot faster than anyone human should be going on foot. Tani clicked her heels and gained the boost she needed to keep up.

The clouds forming above were growing bigger and scarier by the second. Lightening strikes rained down on Angel island in the distance, the whole place was nothing but a deep hole in the clouds. Tani couldn't watch though, she kept her gaze on the ball in front of her and a focus on her breathing.

"Ring the bell!"

Enel's ark came into view, as did a small cloud that held a golden shimmer.

The bell!

"We're getting closer!" Tani cheered brightly. Luffy didn't say anything but she knew him well enough to know he was just as pleased with the progress.

A call from Enel's ship, almost caused the capped girl to freeze. That bastard was close now. The bubbling of a powerful attack was on the rise.

"RAIGO!" He called, millions of strikes burst through his fingers into the sky above. The angry cloud grew in size, almost large enough to consume the stalk ahead of them. Luffy may be null to the electric attacks, but the charred black on her already dark skin was enough to cause a mini heart attack at the sight.

"Tani!" Luffy called back to her, his voice completely serious. She paid very close attention to his next instructions. "when I say jump! You jump!" he commanded.

Tani felt her throat clog up, this was no giant swing level of hight... This was a big jump, one that most sky divers wouldn't dare do without the equipment. She protested.

"I can't! I can't do that!" she screamed at him over the winds cries. He wasn't facing her so she couldn't read his expressions.

"Yes you can! Trust me!" he responded. Tani rationally knew that Luffy would never make her do something that would kill her, but her irrational little brain was screaming bloody murder. She was going to die if she jumped, don't listen to the fool that can't die from large heights, don't do it! You won't survive!

"Tani, jump!" Luffy commanded.

So she did.

She gave the ball one last push forward, then threw herself off the side of the bean stalk. She panicked and screamed on the way down. It was a massive fall, at least 60ft high. She spun around during her descent, blurs of green, navy blue and white flooded her vision in a mess that could rival her own thoughts.

She did this not even 30 minutes ago! Now she has her hands free and isn't holding onto a man that's one head taller than her. Alright! You can do this!

She calmed her breathing as best she could, it was still faster than she wanted but it would have to do. Her arms fanned out to stop the spinning, it took a second or two but she was steady. Her wavers sped up her fall, so she needed to move her feet forward, just like last time.

Tani tossed her legs forward, but she did it a little to fast and flipped her entire body around like a pinwheel. Alright take two. She thrust her legs forward again, this time with less force. Low and behold she managed to stabilise. She was bulletin through the air now, her body in a semi-pindrop, the wind caused her arms to fly up so she kept them as straight as possible. Tani was treating this like a dive into the pool, distancing the thoughts of "height" and "sky".

Thunder and lightening shrieked though the sky, Tani turned to look up and saw with her own eyes, the chaos that Luffy was bringing.

Luffy had somehow managed to keep himself airborne long enough to dispel the storm cloud that threatened to destroy upper yard. The dangerous clouds lightened up and slowly started to break open into blue skies. The golden ball on Luffy's arm glittered in the escaped sunshine.

Enel had grown massive, he looked like he'd absorbed the lightening from the storm. Not that it would matter because Luffy would not get hurt at all during the battle that would ensue.

Tani had to turn her head away, because the ground was getting closer and she needed to concentrate on landing without breaking any bones.

She started by straightening her non-charred leg a bit more than the aforementioned leg. This would be taking the brunt of the impact. She tilted her body back slightly, her heel was what needed to hit the ground first.

Like last time, she spotted her nakama at the base of the now cut down bean stalk. It was a short lived comfort as the world around her rumbled. The impact of what she could only guess was either Luffy punching Enel, launching Enel into space or a mix of both. Tani didn't look up to find out.

*GONG*

The deep chime of a long forgotten relic, echoed through the very bones of all who heard its song. A long lost sound that sang for the hundreds of years it had been forced into silence.

It was mesmerising. Tani lost her train of thought, hell she even forgot she was falling. In awe of how powerful the bells ring was.

"THE BELLS BEEN RUNG!" The voices in her head cheered. It was almost as deafening as the bells song itself. The ghosts of the past had been pleased, their burden now lifted. They were free...

What was that? What just touched her back?!

Tani looked behind her to find a couple of arms had bloomed from her back, then some more grew from her legs. A pair of hands grabbed her feet and clicked them together to stop the wavers from boosting her forward any faster. Tani turned to stare at Robin on the ground, her arms crossed over her chest with a faint smile on her face. A trail of arms sprouted from the ground, all of them aimed forward to catch her in her fall. Hands grabbed her feet, then legs, waist, ribs (very carefully), until the girl had landed safely on the ground with no problems. The arms popped out of existence, leaving behind their little petals that fluttered in the wind innocently.

Tani turned to her crew, all of them staring up at the shadow of Luffy that filled the sky. The jolly boys victorious laughter bounced off the trees, clouds and any other object within three islands range at least. The crew found themselves laughing with him, relief at their victory and survival.

Now where the hell was Luffy going to land after he falls back onto the island?...

"Let's go find our captain then," Tani joked. The rest of the crew snickered with her. Splitting up (Zoro was made to follow Nami) to find Luffy.

Tani stopped in her tracks when she spotted the ghostly forms of two men. She knew who they were, their features and expressions showed they were at peace.

Noland and Calgara.

They nodded to her, she nodded back. They turned away from her and walked away, their forms disappearing into the unknown.

Tani wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but she was happy that the men were finally free.

Now to find Luffy.

...

Tani followed the sound of a bell. She grinned wider than a cat, rushing forward to find a tangle of rubber limbs dangling from the tree branches like a big boa snake. Luffy looked up at the sound of twigs snapping. His eyes grew wide with excitement.

"Tani!" he cheered, his limbs pulling back to his body, snapping branches on the way. It was only now that Tani noticed the lack of gold on his arm. Luffy dropped from the tree, and by dropped it means he launched himself out of the tree and into Tani like a boulder.

The snake limbs curled around the girl, knocking her over onto her behind with an "oof" Luffy was giggling with joy.

"Hazelnut Gramps had to have heard that right? Now his dream's come true," Luffy spoke with so much happiness, you'd almost forget that he'd been fighting for hours. Tani gave a small hiss as Luffy squished his arm over her bruise. He instantly let go when he heard the sound. His eyes filled with concern. Tani was quick to brush off the silent apology his face was conveying.

"How's your arm?" she asked, pointing at the arm that once housed the golden ball. Luffy held it out for her to look at, the lower half of the arm had stretch marks burned into the red of his arm... Oh speaking of red.

"You were practically steaming on that run up," Tani commented. Her hand lightly rubbed at the stretch marks on his arm, those weren't going to be fading any time soon. He gave her his iconic "shishishi" laugh.

"It's a new move I've been working on," he beams. Tani awed at that, he continues "Basically I speed up my blood and it makes me go super fast!" he explained with enthusiasm. How does that even work? "I still need to name the move though. I was thinking gum gum speed, but that's sounds really boring and this is too cool to be something boring." he pouts childishly.

"We can think of a name on the way back to Merry?" Tani suggests. Luffy instantly loses the pout, jumping to his feet and pumping a fist into the air. Tani chuckled and turned to walk back the way she came, Luffy walked beside her.

"How about... Quick silver?" Tani suggested, breaking the silence.

"But it's red,"

"Oh right... Ummm... How about speed demon?"

"That's a Zoro thing,"

"Hmm... Wow this is hard,"

"I know! And I have really cool names for everything else," Luffy pouted again, "hey, you don't name any of your moves." he said with something akin to offence. Tani shrugged.

"It happens in the cartoons back home. It's what the heroes and villains do, and I'm not hero." she answered simply, stepping over a protruding root. Luffy scoffed.

"You're being dumb again," he accused. Poking her cheek with his finger, brows furrowed in distaste. "You should name your attacks because it's awesome." Luffy concluded. Tani rolled her eyes.

"And waste time not only announcing what I'll do so my enemy can counter it." she debated, turning to look him in the eyes, "But spend more time calling out an attack rather than actually doing it?" she crossed her arms in front of her chest with a smirk in her face.

"Gum gum surprise attack," Luffy called out. Grabbing Tani's cheeks and stretching them as far as they would go. Tani slapped at his hands in protest. When he finally let go, she rubbed at her hurting cheeks. "See! My attack was way cooler," Luffy said with pride. Tani rolled her eyes, slowly slipping her hands into her pockets to grab her weapon of choice. Not that she'd tell Luffy...

*bonk*

Tani surprise attacked Luffy's torso with her two yo-yo strings. The aqua-green bases of her yo-yo's bonked against his nose and forehead. He couldn't move because the strings held his arms against his side. Tani barked a laugh at the amusing sight.

"See! You never saw that coming," she teased. Luffy glared at her without any real malice. Tani yanked back, the yo-yo's untangled and were rolled back into her pockets. Luffy rolled his shoulder, something about his expression made it clear he was up to something.

The pair walked in a comfortable silence, the both of them thinking to themselves. Tani was considering a bunch of names for Luffy's new speed up move. She kept thinking of words with "Gum gum" added to the front, but it always sounded really silly or down right stupid.

Luffy wasn't paying attention and tripped on an uneven dirt patch. He clasped around Tani and dragged her down with him. She landed half on top of him, half with her legs coated in dirt. She could feel Luffy's laughter from her heads position on his torso. Was he always this warm or was that her stupid cheeks again. She never reacted like this when the other guys or girls touched her. She didn't wanna call this a crush but she sure as hell didn't have any other words for it.

Was it a crush because if it was a crush than she was... Oh... Oh yeah that's exactly what it was wasn't it...

Well shit.

"Tani?"

She was going over this new development in her head. This was as dense as a brick and so overly affectionate that she wouldn't be able to tell if he was interested back.

"Tani?"

Tani's never had a crush before, well fictional characters don't really count because she could never date them. Luffy is someone she can actually interact with and talk to. What was she even supposed to do? Most movies make a big deal out of the confession. What if this wasn't even a crush?

"Oi Tani, Tani?" a poke to her cheek broke her from her thoughts. She stared into the abyss that was Luffy's large eyes. She pushed him away in shock, don't sneak up on day dreamers. "You're face was all weird looking," he pointed out. "Is it because of that bruise that Chopper wouldn't stop talking about?". Tani made an indignant squawk at that before playfully pushing Luffy in the shoulder.

"No, it's just this um... Oh it's a mystery girl thing," she replied. Luffy looked like he'd just been told the meaning of life. "Anyways, what were you saying?" she steered the topic away from her daunting realization.

"I wish we had that boat. The one we made funny faces on," Luffy said. Tani sighed wishfully at the thought.

"We'd go so fast if we had it," Tani spoke, thinking about driving the boat at 40 miles an hour. Shifting the gears with a satisfying cli-

"That's it! I have a name for your new move," Tani shouted with excitement. Luffy whooped with enthusiasm.

"What?" he asked. His eyes shining like a galaxy. No shh Tani! No thinking about how cute he is when you're having an internal crisis

"Gear second," she announced, Luffy turned his head in slight confusion. So Tani continued, "Well on the boat, when we wanted to go faster. We had to shift gears, so it's like you've shifted from first gear, on to a second gear." she explained. Luffy looked awestruck, practically bouncing on his feet. "Plus if you get any better upgrades, you can name them after the other four gears." she added with a thumbs up.

"That's so cool! See, you can make up awesome fighting names!" he shook his balled hands like an excited child watching a super hero movie. Tani sheepishly rubbed at her neck while willing her blush away.

Luffy was bursting with energy that he shouldn't have after such a long day of fighting for their lives. Tani was pretty much dead on her feet with how exhausted she was. A fact that Luffy was now aware of, and wanted to put a stop to.

The captain stepped in front of her, Tani blinked in confusion before she found her legs being swept from underneath her. Luffy managed to place her into a piggy back position (how Luffy managed that? Psshh beats me), Tani latched onto his neck in surprise. Luffy just laughed like he always does and ran off with Tani in tow.

...

The crew managed to all make their ways back to the Merry just as the sunset was starting. Robin was the first to arrive, the older woman sat on the deck with something in her hands. Luffy came barreling onto the ship with Tani on his back, he'd been bolting through the jungle like it was nobodies business... Tani now had many twigs she would need to untangle from her huge nest of tangled locks.

Luffy dropped Tani onto the deck carefully, before running off the see if the others were coming back soon. This is when Tani noticed what Robin had in her hands.

"Is that my camera?" she asked in surprise, now that she thought about it. She hadn't really used her camera during the trip, so it wouldn't be a surprise to think that she hadn't noticed it was absent from her bag. Robin just smiled with her eyes closed.

"Yes, you weren't using it and I know you wouldn't mind if I took it." Robin responded. Tani wanted to refute that but it's true, she didn't want to take any photos that reminded her of how terrifying the sky islands were. "I took many photos, however I'm not sure how to view them." she admitted. Tani held out her hand for the camera. Robin handed it back.

"I'll get them processed the next time a dimension store is within range... Huh, I haven't been to one of them at all since we left Alabasta." Tani pondered to herself aloud. Robin turned to see that Usopp and Chopper had arrived, waving around big sticks that they'd found. The woman found herself feeling more content with the people she found herself with.

It took another ten minutes before Sanji arrived, the chef was hauling a massive shark behind him because this is Sanji we're talking about. He was talking to himself aloud over what dishes he could make with the catch. Usopp, Luffy and Chopper were all playing around with the big sticks, pretending they were swords and thwacking each other. Tani found herself sitting in her spot, Walkman in hand while she relaxed to the sound of music.

It was another ten minutes before they heard Nami shrieking at Zoro that "For the last time! East is not to the south you dimwit!". That was everyone back now, so that could only mean one thing.

A feast was to ensue.

Luffy made a huge deal out of the crews need for a celebratory feast at the end of such an adventure. Sanji was quick to work on the massive task at hand. Tani and Usopp both offered their services in such a task, which Sanji was grateful for even though he tried to deny them. Tani was washing a bunch of pots when she noticed something moving in the darkness outside the window.

"Straw hat!" a deep, masculine voice called out. They sounded familiar. Everyone rushed out on deck to stare at who had shown up. His tan skin and red hair couldn't be mistaken.

"Oh it's Wyper," Nami commented. The man stood with a smile on his face, which looked odd because the guy only ever scowled.

"Straw hat pirates," Wyper addressed, a few more individuals that Tani didn't recognize appeared. There was also Gan fall, Pierre the horse bird, Conis and her father as well as a mix of both angel islanders and Shandians. "You have our thanks, for saving our land and reclaiming a part of our history." Wyper thanked. The rest of the people cheered and thanked the crew.

"Hey, hey guys!" Luffy bounced while addressing his crew. "More people means bigger feast! Let's ask them for a party!" the captain cheered.

So here they were, about an hour or so later. Celebrating the straw hat crew's victory. Tani found herself sitting on the sidelines with a cut of what she guessed was fruit punch that tasted like that pumpkin looking fruit.

The girl stared at the massive bonfire that was lit in celebration. Usopp was nearby telling entertaining tall tales to the crowds. Zoro and Nami were having a drinking contest, the two were neck and neck. Sanji was cooking with the many other cooks and chefs that wanted to help. Luffy and Chopper were dancing around like maniacs, having the times of their lives while doing it.

Tani took a sip of her drink and watched the dancing go on. She'd been to prom and school discos before, but she never participated in the dancing. Firstly because there were so many people that she'd get lost in the crowd, but she also never had anyone that wanted to dance with her.

She took another sip of the punch.

Luffy grabbed Chopper by the hooves and started spinning him around while the smaller of the two cheered loudly. Tani wanted to get up and join in, but she couldn't really build up the courage to do it. So she took another sip of her punch...

And it's empty.

With a small groan, Tani got up from her spot on a broken off rock wall. The food was being served on the other side of the party area. She started walking around the dance floor. That's when she heard it.

"Oi! Tani!"

It was like a death sentence wrapped in pure intentions and the promises of a good time. The girl didn't have time to react before she found an arm looping around her chest and hips, very carefully avoiding the bruise. A yank and she was flying backwards at mach speed. Tani wanted to stamp her whiplash card and get a free neck brace because she was going to have a snapped spinal cord before the age of 20.

"Luffy be careful-"

"Let's go dance!" Luffy said, ignoring Chopper who was scolding him. Luffy unwound his arm from the dizzy girl and entwined his hands in her own. Pulling her deeper into the dancing crowd, keeping his eyes on hers. Tani's heart pounded in her chest, it felt like it would explode.

Luffy stopped walking through the crowd, planting himself and quickly pulling and pushing his arms back and forth in a very simple dance motion, Tani followed his lead. One arm forward, the other back. Rinse and repeat. Slowly Tani felt her feet mirroring the motion, Luffy would kick one foot forward while she kicked back. There was a skip in their steps, a bounce on the heels of their feet. A laugh that bubbled in their chests as they got more daring. Luffy let go of one of her hands and flicked her to the side, his arm stretched out, Tani did the same. They twirled back to each other, smiling and giggling.

Was this what it felt like to go to prom and dance? Was this what it was like to have a date for said prom? Tani hoped it was because this felt like pure bliss.

Tani lifted one arm up and twirled Luffy around underneath, he whooped with joy. Tani couldn't stop laughing, it was like she was drunk on the feeling. A mix of teenage emotions and newly lived moments. She found herself staring at Luffy. The world around them seemed to quiet down and blur, her focus solely on him.

Was she truly sure she had a crush on him? Like 100% certain, no questions asked?

He met her gaze and bared his signature smile.

Yep! Without a shadow of a doubt, this is what a crush on Luffy feels like.

Now... Does she have the guts to act on it?

The duo continued to dance a little less in sync now. Tani using her feet and arms more than wiggling her body around. Luffy was all over the joint, a mess of flailing limbs that couldn't be stopped. Some of the party goers were cheering for him and his wild moves.

Tani lost herself to her thoughts. She'd never really thought about a future with someone. Sure she'd dreamed about dating fictional characters, but they were easy to morph into the perfect partner. Luffy was a real, breathing human being.

Luffy was now shoving chop sticks into his nose and mouth, his lips stretching impossibly wide to accommodate the wooden sticks.

Well human enough...

Back on track! Luffy was one of a kind. Loyal to a fault, never even once considering to abandon her or the rest of the crew. He was charming and kind, even if he could be real blunt about his opinions. He was one of those people that could draw anyone in... And that's what gave Tani concerns.

Luffy could have literally anyone he wanted if he really tried.

So what was special about Tani?

It could be the years of social outcast-hood, her low self-esteem or her many other internal issues, but she knew that Luffy was one hell of a guy. Anyone that has him as an ally is lucky, as an enemy means defeat, as a captain you're considered something special...

Tani questioned everyday why he still wanted her on his crew. She had her moments of usefulness but those weren't as an abundant as Zoro's dedication to swordsmanship, or Nami's expertise on weather forecasting without fail. Everyone has something extraordinary about them.

She was aware that she herself was a novelty. An alien to them. Yet they kept her around...

He kept her around.

How many times had he reassured her that she was important to the crew? That he would never be pirate king without her there? Clearly she was important.

But was she significant other important?

Ugh! Stop having these thoughts dumbass. This is a party! Not some highschool drama movie.

While the crowd started to swarm Luffy, Tani took that moment to sneak away and grab some more punch. That was enough dancing for today.

She failed to notice Luffy turning back to look at her. Dissapointed that she'd left before he could dance with her again.

...

The night wore on. Once the feast was served, all hell broke loose. Luffy ate like it was going out of fashion, it was the whole island vs Luffy. Everyone had to scramble to grab their share and run before the dragon that is Luffy, could protect his hoard of meats and other foods.

The straw hats were experts at this game, so they were quick enough to grab something substantial and make a break for it.

After the feast, the party slowed down. People dropped to the ground to sleep off their full stomachs and drunken brains. All in all it was one hell of a party.

The next morning started off slow, everyone groggy from the uncomfortable positions they slept or the horrid hang overs they were suffering from.

The straw hats gathered around each other, though Robin appeared to be missing. It was very in character for Robin now that they all thought about it.

"Alright everyone, I had a dream last night about all the riches we should have found in the city of gold," Nami started. Everyone was yawning and stretching while she spoke, "And that got me thinking. That massive snake that Luffy, Tani and I got stuck in had heaps of gold in it." she spoke with sparkles glittering in her berri shifted eyes.

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that Nami?" Usopp asked skeptically. The red head slid an arm over the snipers shoulders, and with her free hand started to poke him in the chest. "Well my cowardly friend, the big old snake has been sleeping as solid as a rock for hours. Robin mentioned something about snakes sleeping for 16 hours-"

"Why was Robin talking about snakes?"

"Because she's Robin, that's why. Don't interrupt me," Nami said with a glare. "Anyway, to keep it brief. We're going to steal all the gold we can from within the snake." Nami declared. The small crew all stared at her with wide eyes. Usopp went to make a statement when Nami interrupted with a sinister look in her eyes. "It'll be like a real pirate adventure," she said sweetly. Luffy took the bait hook, line and sinker.

"Yeah! Real pirates get treasure at the end of an adventure, we're gonna get that gold." he declared. Whelp! Guess they're gonna go all Indiana Jones on this joint. Usopp took this opportunity to speak.

"Won't the people be suspicious of us if we all go in together?" he asked. Then he pushed his hand into his bag and whipped out a handful of rubber bands. "What if I distract them with these? Maybe I can win them over and get some more of those really cool dials they have so many of." he suggested. Nami hummed.

"That's actually a really good idea, well done Usopp." she said with a slap to his back. Usopp huffed.

"Oi, all my ideas are good ideas." he pouted angrily. Nami and Tani deadpan stared at him.

"Fingers running down a chalkboard," Tani said in a monotone voice. Everyone except Luffy and Zoro gave off a shudder. Usopp gave a sheepish expression.

"Ok... Most of my ideas,"

The crew laughed.

They spent most of the afternoon hauling gold out of the slumbering python. Usopp did a marvelous job not only distracting all of the island people from the thievery that was occurring right under their noses, but gathering up a wide range of dials that could be useful for them in the future.

Zoro hauled the final bag of gold onto the ship with a thunk. Merry's treasure room has never looked so complete. Tani flopped onto the deck with a huff, her arms burned from carrying all that weight.

"A drink for a lovely lady," Sanji's suave voice spoke from above her.

Tani looked up to see a yellow and orange drink with a slice of mandarin and a straw on the side. Tani accepted it with a grateful smile, sitting up and savouring the refreshing beverage.

Usopp had returned, looking like Santa with the massive brown sack slung over his shoulder. Clanking with the sound of dials. He was brief with his greeting before running off to his work space (the broom closet) to deposit the traded goods.

"I wonder where Robin went," Sanji pondered, taking a seat beside Nami. The red head looked up from the drink she'd received to think.

"I haven't seen her since last night," she said. Zoro lifted an eyelid from his sleeping position.

"Nobody has, she wondered off at some point." he mentioned, "She probably got lost or something,"

"That's rich coming from you algae head," Sanji teased. Zoro snarled at him, his hands already itching to grab his blades.

"What was that?" Zoro sneered. His eyes taking on that monstrous look. Sanji waltzed over to the swordsman and leaned real close.

"I said you're a directionless moss ball that can't tell the difference between left and right," Sanji replied smugly.

"Can you two shut up for a second? I think I see Robin," Nami called out from the railing of Merry.

Sure enough, it was Robin. The woman was waving from her position in the distance. That and the massive golden object that was being dragged behind her. Luffy was the first to react.

"They've got a canon!? That's so cool!" he shouted excitedly. Usopp and Nami on the other hand...

"Set sail! They're gonna blow us up!" the cowardly duo shrieked.

"But what about Robin?" Tani called out while Zoro and Sanji ran to their positions. Nami stood in her navigators spot.

"She can catch up," the navigator responded. Tani nodded with a sigh before running to untie ropes from the lower sails.

Robin started running when she noticed the boat was moving, that enigmatic smile of hers gracing her face as she bloomed a rope of hands towards the railing. Chopper was their to help her up.

"My my, off so soon?" she said sweetly, taking a seat on the deck chair that she'd claimed as her own. The crew ran like clockwork, racing around to catch the winds and go sailing.

Once they were ripping through the cloudy ocean, the sound of cheers and thanks were sent their way. People from the island were waving goodbye. Luffy waved back with great enthusiasm.

"Straw hat!" a voice called out, followed by the loud and obnoxious sound of a horn. Looking below them, they spotted Conis and her father waving from their small speed boat. "We'll show you the way to the islands exit," she called out. Speeding ahead with the boat. Merry was set to follow.

...

"An octopus?!" Tani called out at the entrance of Cloud end. It looked like the start of a rollercoaster, with a flashy entrance and dark tunnel that would most certainly lead to a massive drop. Tani was already inching closer to Luffy.

"These octopus have an air sack that inflates to large that they can make anything float in the sky." Conis explained. "It's the only way that you guys can get off the island safely," she said. Tani groaned, she was so tired of falling from all these high places.

"We better get going," Nami said. She turned to Conis, "thank you for the help, it was lovely to meet you all,"

The crew waved goodbye as the octopus latched onto their boat and started sailing further into the tunnel.

It was completely dark, except for the light at the very end of the tunnel. Tani felt Luffy's hand slip into hers, well she assumed it was Luffy because he was the closest person to her. She held his hand tight. He must have known she was nervous.

The light grew larger and larger.

Here we go.

The blue of the ocean filled their views, though it was short lived as they were sent free falling towards it rather quickly. The crew felt their feet lift from the ground, Tani was quick to vocalize her dislike to this.

"Oh god the octopus isn't working!" she elongated every word. Luffy pulled her into a hug, giving her something solid to cling to.

The octopus decided to activate now. Inflating like a hot air balloon and halting the boats fall. The crew all slammed back into the ground. Tani ended up headbutting the captain, though he was just fine. Blunt force trauma apparently didn't work on the rubber man... It did on Tani.

The whined about her head hurting, Luffy just laughed it off before lifting her off him and without giving her a chance to even comprehend what happened.

He kissed her on the forehead.

If you were to read Tani's thoughts right, all you'd get is the windows dial up noise. Her head just unable to compute that he'd just done that.

Then she finally caught up.

"Wha-what what? Luffy what did you? Why did? Kiss? Why wha-" she fumbled. Luffy pointed and laughed at her.

"You're face looks so funny right now," he snickered. Tani stopped flailing her arms. "does your head feel better?"

"My head?"

"Yeah! Makino would always give me a kiss on the forehead when I hit it," he grinned, "I always felt better right away,".

Tani rubbed at the spot on her head, the throbbing wasn't there but it never really lasted. Plus Luffy being made of rubber probably softened the blow... Wait hasn't he headbutt her before? He never kissed her then... Maybe she's over thinking it.

"Uh, yeah... Yeah I feel better now," she sounded breathy. Calm down stupid heart. Luffy looked satisfied, jumping to his feet and pulling Tani up with him.

"Hey Nami, how long until we land?" Luffy called out. Nami put a hand to her chin to think.

"About three hours," she concluded.

"Cool," Luffy said simply. "Sanji! Is it lunch time yet?"

"I'll get on that," the chef sighed, turning towards the kitchen to get started on something to eat.

"On to the next island!" Luffy cheered.

The adventure on the sky islands was over. Wonder what's in store now?


	27. Update! Please read though!

Well ladies and gents! It's done! I've finally gotten these reworks done! So it's about time I inform you all on that has been changed, just in case you don't want to reread the whole story again (Trust me it's gotten longer hegeheh)

IN TERMS OF TANI  
1\. Tani's not as much of a crybaby coward as she used to be. I felt like it made her look much weaker than I wanted her to present herself. So now she's cowardly in the same sense as Nami and Usopp, but more likely to try and fight when given the opportunity.  
2\. A power that I've wanted to give Tani has started to show up. It's intro being in Skypiea, during the upper yard parts. She is able to see ghosts of the past and hear them. I've always made Tani's hearing very sensitive so the hearing ghosts thing is because of that. The seeing things of the past part will be explored a lot more later (but I won't spoil anything hehee)

IN TERMS OF STORY  
1\. I introduced a bell user earlier than expected! Trip from Alabasta was actually not going to be a bell user when I started. She still had an important role in the story but I didn't make her a bell user. I decided to fix that and now she's been introduced as a user. This is important because a couple of mysteries like the copper bell in the ship wreck, or Tani questioning if she's alone in this world are changed to dialogue about whether or not she's special anymore (you know because she's got no self esteem)  
2\. I've added more character fluff so the crew feels like they're all bonding to not only Tani, but each other. I skipped a lot of opportunities to have character growth or interactions because I didn't want to write them at the time. Now they've been added!  
2\. The first chapter, loguetown, reverse mountain and the second half of drum island chapters have all been pretty much rewritten. I hated how lazy I got with them when making them so they're pretty different now. But they all lead to the same conclusions.

IN TERMS OF WRITING  
1\. I FINALLY CAPITALIZE ALL THE FIRST LETTERS IN DIALOG! I DON'T KNOW WHY I NEVER DID THAT BUT DAMNNN IM A FOOL HEGGEGE  
2\. The writing styles of my older chapters now match my newer chapters so that's neat! They're still clunker than the newer stuff but they're structures are much nicer.

SO WHAT NOW?  
Well now it's time to get back on track and write some new content for you guys! I've been excited to finally start on G-8 and get this show on the road. Thank you all so much for sticking around and waiting while I slowly and painfully fixed everything that I didn't like about my older stuff (hopefully that doesn't happen again because this was a task and a half, like crazy tedious to do on phone)

I would say except the new chapter in the next two weeks. I haven't started it but I'm so pumped up that it might be spat out faster than a normal chapter would.

Once again I can't thank you guys enough for waiting. It warms my heart to know I have all your support. I might sound like a record on repeat but you're all so special to me and I can't express how much it means to me that you're all still here. Thank you! And remember!  
Tani loves you :D


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: I swear to the lords above if this chapter comes out as a jumbled mess I'm gonna cry. HELLO AGAIN! FINALLY UPLOADING NEW CONTENT AGAINNN! I spent ages working on the reworks, so it's refreshing to write something completely new. You've all waited long enough for this. So enjoy everyone!

"Coffee's ready," Sanji said smoothly. Carry three trays of mugs and pots full of the caffeine bean juice. Sugar, creams and chocolate dust on the side. The crew gathered on the deck in a circle, sitting together while the chef handed out mugs to each crew mate.

Tani took a sip of the fully creamed and sugared monstrosity she called a coffee. It was warming her soul, providing a much needed comfort... That wouldn't last long.

It was about an hour before they were meant to land, when the sound of a balloon wheezing caught the attention of the crew. Nami was the first to notice, as clothing items and hair started floating upwards.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Usopp questioned. Looking up at the pink octopus that was deflating. The crew all looked at each other in shared confusion. They all knew that something was wrong.

"Prepare for a bumpy landing!" Nami yelled. Already running to the railing and looping her arms and legs around it. This caused a slight panic, specifically in the resident cowards.

Zoro held his arms out for Chopper to jump into, the reindeer already sobbing and running towards the towering, moss covered brick. Zoro gripped around the rail guard, unconsciously petting at Choppers fur to calm the little deer.

Robin stayed seated in her chair, still holding her book with a pleasant expression. Sanji stood beside her, offering himself for her to hold onto. She indulged in his offer, letting him hold her hand. It wouldn't do much if the ship just suddenly dropped but it made Sanji happy as a quokka.

Usopp though, being the man of surprises. Took on a brave face as he concocted a plan to slow the descent of the Merry. The boat was looking worse for wear, his hands flew to his bag and retracted with a handful of white dials. He turned to Tani and Luffy with a determined expression.

"We need to get these on the bottom of Merry." he stated, tossing a handful to Tani. "They all have a sticky side, just press it to Merry and they'll stay. Press the top of the dial so we can slow down our fall." Usopp instructed. Luffy took on a focused expression, for once he was actually listening to instructs? A miracle!

"Luffy, loop your arms around me and Tani. Tani I'm gonna need you to get the left side, while I get the ri-"

"ARE YOU CRAZY!" Tani shrieked. She had at least five dials in her hands, that's five too many. "Haven't I thrown myself off high surfaces enough in the last three days?!" she said pathetically. Usopp turned to Luffy, who shrugged in return.

Robin has entered the chat.

"If you don't do it Miss Bell, we will all meet a gruesome end. All our organs and bones crushed from the impact into fleshy pancakes." she said nonchalantly. Turning the next page of her book without missing a beat. Tani wanted to gag.

"Flesh pancakes, or jumping off a boat?" she weighted out her options and decided she wasn't feeling pancakes today. "Fine, let's do this," she said with a grumpy expression.

Luffy was quick to toss his arms around with of their waists. Usopp dived over the side with the grace of a swan. Tani was still a little nervous to actually move.

Robin has re-entered the chat.

The woman spawned an arm and pushed Tani over the edge, the younger girl let out a scream as she was tossed over. Luffy held her tight in his grip, stopping her at the correct length so she could apply the dials.

Usopp moved quickly, slapping the dials down and pushing on them at a speed that Tani wasn't capable of. She watched him plant his fifth dial before she'd even placed her second on. He turned to her and gave her a thumbs up before tugging on Luffy's arm and being pulled back up to the deck.

Tani swayed as she planted the fourth dial, just one more to go and-

The ship plummeted.

Tani was flown upwards quickly, her brain not having any time to register what the hell had even happened. She clutched at the dial in her hands, the wind whistled and shrieked around her ears.

Luffy and Usopp made quick work in reeling her back in, latching onto her and hugging her tightly as the ship dropped like a lead balloon into the ocean below. The crew couldn't even see all too well thanks to the setting sun. All they could really do with hope for the best, that the dials would slow their fall just enough for Merry to survive... And hopefully they can survive too.

The resounding splash! That followed the Merry's rough landing, rocked the boats occupants. Leaving them to fumble over each other or whack into random objects. At least the coffee cups and pots looked fine, the petals drifting from that spot hinting at who was the cause of that.

Tani was clinging tightly to Luffy, her hair frizzled up in a hedgehog fashion. Nails digging into the rubber man's arms while her legs curled around his waist. Yeah you couldn't remove her unless you grabbed a crowbar and pried her off.

Luffy didn't mind at all. He lifted himself off the ground, Usopp still holding onto the captains arm. The sniper let go and straightened himself up. Nami snaked off the railing and hugged Usopp.

"That was a brilliant idea!" she cheered. Usopp felt his ego bloat, singing his own praises. Nami ignored his ramblings, looking around the surrounding ocean. "Now, where are we?" she whispered. Eyeing the large rocky planes that walled the immediate area. She couldn't see any exits.

Luffy wasn't paying attention to Nami or Usopp, instead he moved his arms to hold Tani comfortably to myself. She rested her head on his shoulder, her face hiding in the crook of his neck. She was so done with this god damn sky island bull shit!

"There better be an island underwater somewhere," Tani groaned, Luffy laughed. The shake of body with the laugh made Tani register that... Oh is that the inferno of fluster she can feel.

She decided to embrace the opportunity to be held by her first crush. God he has no right to be this comfortable.

The world was dark, night time having fallen not long ago. The only light came from the building in the centre of the walled off space. Voices that shouted at each other could be heard from said building. The straw hats paid them no real mind.

"Shall we continue with our coffee?" Robin asked. The crew shrugged and sat around the coffee cups again.

...

The marine boats swarmed Merry swiftly, the cover of night being a benefit to them... Or so they thought.

Tani heard the boats coming before they could be seen, Usopp double checked that claim with his goggles. At least five marine boats were sailing towards them, bright lights beamed towards them.

"Dive!" Nami commanded. Throwing herself over board into the water, the crew swiftly followed suit. Usopp held onto Robin, Zoro grabbed Chopper, Luffy clung to Tani the moment Nami gave her command, Sanji dove beside Tani. The Merry was vacated before the marines could spot them...

Dammit! Tani left her wavers on the ship, at least she has her yo-yo's and backpack but that still doesn't make her a happy camper. Tani and Sanji swam towards the rocky bay, on the outer ring that surrounded the base.

Luffy coughed and sputtered loudly, which caused both Tani and Sanji to slap a hand over his mouth. The spotlights shifted towards them, so they hid behind some rocks. The trio having to squeeze against each other to fit behind the closest space. Tani kept her gaze on the searching light, consciously ignoring the accidental touches or squishing of her organs.

The light lingered on their position for a moment, Tani hushed her companions. Luffy sounded like he wanted to explode, the guy couldn't stay quiet if it meant a matter of life or death... Unless there was meat involved. Luckily Sanji kept his hand firmly around the captains trap, Tani leaning ever so slightly out of the hiding spot to watch which way the light was shifting.

Waiting... Waiting...

The spot light lost interest in their location and turned to the left, leaving Tani with all the information she needed for now.

"Let's go," she said quietly, motioning to the right. The boys followed behind her, letting her take the lead. An unusual occurrence when involving captain McAdventure-pants and the holy chivalry knight of white. Tani felt like she knew exactly what she was doing.

The trio ran around the outer ring, when Tani noticed an entrance to an underground something. She paused, the boys stood beside her... Well Sanji did, Luffy stopped for 0.3 seconds before bursting the door open and walking inside like he owned the joint. Tani face palmed while Sanji groaned with annoyance. The pair followed their idiot captain.

The cave was tunnelled out, with metal beams to support the arch shaped hallways, the place was damp as hell. Which meant they were probably tunnelling towards the main marine base. There were plenty of candles and lanterns to light the pathway, each foot step echoed back. The place seemed to be void of life, sans Luffy, Sanji and Tani.

"Should we be going towards the base? What about the rest of the crew?" Tani asked, to fill in the silence. Sanji huffed.

"They're our nakama, they can handle themselves just fine." Sanji stated confidently. He looked like he was itching to grab a smoke. "I'll kick any marine bastard that hurts my lovely Nami, or darling Robin," he declared with a narrowed brow. Tani snickered.

"Aw, am I not worthy of your protection anymore Sanji?" she joked. Sanji looked at her with horror. He went to open his mouth to protest her claim when Luffy chimed in.

"That's ok! I'll protect you Tani," Luffy said sweetly. "Not that you'll need it, because you're really cool and can kick ass," he added like sprinkles to the top of the sundae.

Tani covered her face to hide her fluster. Luckily Luffy wasn't looking her way... But Sanji was, and he considers himself a love expert. He looked between the two of them, the flushing of Tani's cheeks, the awkward body language, her small squeak that she hoped nobody heard.

A classic case of a first crush. How adorable!

Luffy is as dense as a brick though! He's gonna break Tani dearests heart if he keeps ignoring her feelings like that. A lady with heartbreak is not allowed to happen if Sanji can help it, so help god. If Luffy hurts Tani, the crews gonna need a new captain.

*clack clack clack*

The sound of steel toed boots clicked on the rock floor, the three of them froze in their steps. There wasn't anywhere to hide all three of them, the metal beams could shield one person per side, so one of them would be exposed. Luffy pushed Tani towards one of the beams, while Sanji bounced to the other beam, Luffy launched his arms up to the top of the beam and hung there like a monkey.

A lone marine soldier walked along the tunnel, a long rifle rested on his arm as he marched onward. The den den mushi in his pocket started to ring with a familiar *puru puru puru* which he answered immediately.

"This is cadet Allis reporting," he responded. The voice on the other end spoke up, a hint of excitement in their tone.

"This is cadet Oscar, captain Johnathan has reported that all marines keep an eye out for members of the mystery pirate crew that landed in the middle of our base waters." the voice reported. Allis gave an affirmative before hanging up. Allis continued his walk towards the end of the tunnel, looking more on edge than last time.

*clap clap clap*

Oh no.

The sound of Luffy's sandals rebounded off the walls as he walked behind the marine with a smug grin. The marine would turn around and Luffy would follow, always standing right behind him without a care of being caught.

Hell he held up a leave sign towards his two companions with a wonky smile. Tani had to stop herself from laughing. What a dork.

Before he could get caught, Luffy flung himself back onto a support beam and waited for the marine to walk away. Once his shoes clicks were out of ear shot, the trio made a dash for the other end of the tunnel. Rock turned to metal, many pathways opened up. There were so many different hallways to get lost in.

Luffy sped up and took the lead, the other two followed without question. Knowing Luffy, he'd find something interesting, if not something troublesome.

The smell of food hit their noses, Sanji had to hold back a whack to Luffy's head. The moron always thought with his stomach, not his head. If they were going to infiltrate this base successfully, they would need disguises.

Sanji spotted a vent on the roof, it would be a tight fit but they'd all be able to shimmy their ways through.

"We can take the vents, find a marine or three that are isolated, kick their ass and steal their clothes." Sanji said. Tani had other plans.

"I'm not going all Diehard on in this facility, you couldn't get me in that vent if you paid me." she stated clearly. That movie had scared her for life, so there's no way she was getting in a vent. Sanji looked at her, then the vent with concern. This was the only way to guarantee her safety, as well as navigate without being spotted. Tani gave him a wink.

"They won't find me, you and Luffy go into the vents and find some uniforms," Tani assured. Pushing Sanji towards the vent. Luffy gave her a look, which she returned with a confident one. They stared at one another for a moment, before Luffy grinned. Grabbing Sanji and tossed him into the vent, before slinking himself up.

"Good luck you two," Tani whispered before turning towards the empty hallway and proceeding with caution.

She searched her way around like a ninja, making sure to take cover whenever she could find it. All she needed was a supply closet, a dirty laundry basket, honestly anything that holds any type of uniform.

*ring*

Tani froze on the spot. That was a bell, a special bell. It just wasn't one of hers. The chime held an air of excitablity and anticipation. The ring tone itself was more high pitched than her bells...

Was this the marine that Trip was talking about? Was this the vice admiral that was obsessed with bell users?

*ring ring*

The bell sounds seemed to be playing a tune, one that Tani didn't recognise. If she had to describe it, it sounded like a theme tune.

Tani didn't want to risk moving, her bell would give her away. Yet she can't just stand here, what if the marine is armed with a weapon?!

"-And bring along, all your hopes and dreams~" a voice sang, their feet clicking with a skip in their step. The bell bouncing with the tune. Was this the marine? They sounded too young to be such a high ranking marine.

"Together we will find everything that we're lookin for~" they sang some more with cheer, they were getting closer. Tani had to hide! She just couldn't find where-

"One piece!" the marine shouted with a dramatic pose, turning the corner and freezing when they spotted Tani. Tani was frozen too, stuck in the "I'm running away now" pose while the marine was "Final pose for a rock ballad" posing.

Awkward.

Tani was the first to move, bolting towards the lone marine with vigour, her yo-yo's whipped out and ready to strike. The marine snapped out of it and lifted their hands in a holt position.

"Wait wait wait-" they were cut off when Tani smacked the marine in the face with a harsh blow. They rubbed at the cheek with a whine, their other hand still held up in protest. "Stop! Wait, listen-" they cried, Tani continued, she needed their uniform.

They dodged and deflected the blows that Tani threw at them. The marine was still trying to speak.

"Hold on! I'm on your side-"

*whack*

"I can help! I have a spare uniform-"

*whack*

"Tani can you stop!?"

The use of her name made her pause, the marine breathed heavily. Their hands on their knees as they heaved. Holding up one hand with a finger up in pause. Tani had both yo-yo's in her hands, ready to attack if provoked.

She took a good look at the marine. They had their short brown hair tied into a small ponytail, with a marine cap on top. Their skin was slightly tanned, showing their exposure to the sun. They were box shaped in build, with prominent muscles built around the upper arms that could snap Tani in half if she wasn't careful.

"Who are you?" Tani asked cautiously. Her voice giving away her paranoia. The marine lifted their head with a wonky smile.

"The names Oscar, I'm just like you," Oscar said with a relieved sigh. Digging into their pocket and revealing a silver bell. Tani's heart skipped a beat, another bell. This time the user was with it. Tani pulled her own golden bell from her bag to show it to Oscar. The marine looked ecstatic.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I'VE MET SOMEONE LIKE ME!" they cheered excitedly. Tani shushed them harshly, they quickly covered their mouth with a sheepish blush on their face. "Sorry... Oh uh, follow me!" they said with a wave of their hand. Tani looked at them sceptically, they rolled their eyes and grabbed her arm. Dragging her down the hall while speaking a million miles a second.

"Nami and Zoro should be running around close to the east balcony, Zoro's gonna be caught soon." they stated aloud. Tani blinked in shock, they continued, "Luffy and Sanji would be in the vents, or the kitchen by now. Chopper will be hiding in the doctors hamper. Usopp will be making his way to Merry and Robin will be doing her Robin thing," they concluded.

How the hell?

"We're here," the said, opening a door and pulling Tani into the room. What greeted her was... Not something she expected when thinking of a marine.

Wanted posters of many pirates, covered the walls. She saw Luffy, Zoro and herself on the wall. As well as Ace, Trip, Crocodile was there too, and many others she didn't know. Like a guy with a sword and spotty hat, or the guy with red hair and black lipstick. Oscar started to gush.

"Aren't they amazing! I've been collecting all my favourite characters posters. Just need Enies lobby to happen and I can get the rest of the straw hats, except for Brook. Who hasn't shown up yet, but you know that already don't you?" they rambled. Tani just stared at them wide eyed.

"What are you talking about? What's going on?" Tani interrogated. Oscar looked at her like she was messing around. She wasn't.

"What do you mean? You're in this world, so you must know what One piece is?" they said with a "no duh" attitude. Tani was not having it.

"It's the name of the treasure-"

"On the Grand-line~" Oscar interrupted with song. Tani held her forehead, what were they on about?

"Anyway, I don't know how you know about my crew, we haven't been in the news that often," she pondered aloud, Oscar spoke up.

"Wait... Have you never heard of One-piece? The manga?" they asked with shock. Tani shook her head, she didn't even know what a manga was. "Holy smokes! I just spoiled the story for you," they panicked. Rolling into themselves in despair.

"Luffy will be so dissapointed in me, I spoiled the adventure," they wallowed. Tani looked at them, then the uniform that they'd tossed on the bed for her to wear. She grabbed it and threw it on while they continued to weep. The uniform was a bit tight in the shirt area, probably because Tani had a bigger bust than Oscar did. The pants were too long so Tani had roll the bottoms up. Shoes were a perfect fit but that's to be expected, everyone's feet are the same size here...

Now that hat...

She didn't want to swap her lucky cap for the boring white and blue cap that the marines wore, but for the sake of disguising herself... She sucked it up, pulled her hat off her head and shoved it in her bag. She decided to tuck all her hair into the cap, her long hair would be a dead give away.

"Oscar? Are you alright?" Tani asked, crouching beside the fetus positioned Oscar. They looked at her with a dramatically saddened face.

"No, Luffy will hate me for ruining the adventure." they whined. Tani gave them an awkward pat on the back.

"I promise I won't say anything about it to Luffy," Tani swore, that seemed to instantly perk Oscar up. Who jumped to their feet and beamed from ear to ear.

"I can't wait for chaos to ensue, it's been so boring here," Oscar smiled, opening the door to their room, into the hallway. "Let's head to the kitchen, I'm sure Sanji and Luffy are already there," they said with excitement. Practically dragging Tani towards the pleasant smelling mess hall/kitchen. It smelt like Sanji's work.

The mess hall was brimming with life. Marines all crowded around the open wall that shows the kitchen, men and women alike all taking a gander at the sight. Tani could tell it was Sanji, he has that draw to him when cooking around others, the show-off.

Oscar grabbed Tani's arm and pulled her towards the back entrance to the kitchen. How convenient.

They peeked around the corner, and saw Sanji obliterating some fish meat with a tenderising hammer. His hands moving so fast that they were a blur. Oscar let out a sigh.

"God he's even prettier in real life," they said dreamily. This felt like two school girls staring at their crush from across the hall. Speaking of... Where's Lu-

"Tani who's that?" speak of the devil and he shall arise. Tani jumped in shock, smacking her head into Oscar's chin. The pair grabbing the now throbbing spots. Oscar took a split second to register that Luffy was in their presence. They looked like they were going to blow up with how much they were shaking.

"This is Oscar, they're from my world too." she explained briefly with a quiet tone. Luffy looked at them with no real expression, before turning back to Tani. "They're your friend now right?" he asked, pointing at them. Tani looked at Oscar, who was just as curious for the answer.

"Yeah, they helped me get a uniform." Tani stated. Luffy looked back at Oscar with a grin and laughed his iconic laugh. Oscar looked like they were going to die right on the spot, with no regrets.

"Oi, dish boy! Get back to work," a tall woman with blonde hair tied in a tight bun commanded. Her eyes spotting Tani and Oscar. "Oscar? You're not meant to be on kitchen duty. Who's your little friend?" she questioned. Looking at Tani sceptically. Oscar did a little jazz hand motion towards Tani.

"This is cadet uh, Torao," they responded with a grin. Torao? Is that even a real word? "It's her last name, since she doesn't like her first name." they pointed out to the woman. Tani gave a nod.

"That's right, please call me Torao. As my name is really embarrassing," shit now she need to think up a dumb first name... God this was all going to fall apart as fast as the Star Wars reference back in chapter 25.

"She arrived on the same ship as special agent Shepard this morning." Oscar continued to fib. Tani nodding along, paying close attention to she can keep the continuity. "She got lost and wanted some help finding the bathroom, only to be drawn by the amazing smell of that chef! Is he one of the Marley brothers you mentioned would show up today?" Oscar asked innocently directing the attention to Sanji instead. The chef lady gave a huff.

"He's certainly one hell of a chef, I wasn't expecting much from the Marley brothers. Yet that blonde is one talented man... The raven on the other hand," she motioned towards Luffy, who was shoving three plates of food into his mouth. Sanji would smack him upside the head, but the meals were lost to the Luffy void. "Has been nothing but trouble, he can't even clean dishes well." she glared. Tani took that moment to perk up.

"I can clean those dishes if you need a hand? I don't think my team needs me right now, with Shepard doing their thing." she said sweetly. The lady gave her a curious gaze before turning her head towards Oscar, who gave a thumbs up. She sighed and nodded to Tani. Who saluted and ran off to Luffy's side.

The captain was excited to see her, she gave him a finger to the lips. Silencing him, and started on the dishes. She would wash them and hand them to Luffy, who took a drying rag and dried them all rather poorly. At least they were clean.

Oscar was hanging around,staring at Sanji cook. Their eyes filled with wonder, their fair cheeks flushing a bright pink. Luffy gave a snicker.

"Shishi, Boxcar looks like you when you get all funny in the face," the captain pointed out. Humour in his tone, that caught Tani off guard. Tani turned to spot Oscar pulling out a den den mushi, were they making a call?

"Did you just call him Boxcar? His name is Oscar..." she said, feeling herself get embarrassed at the call out.

Luffy continued to snicker, a sparkle in his eyes that made Tani's heart skip a beat... Shut up heart! He's just looking cute, that's not something to get excited about! Ugh maybe she should just shove her head into the murky sink water to shut her brain up.

"Oi, dish boy." the lady called to Luffy, who turned to her and instantly zeroed in on the steaming plate of food in her hand. Tani and Sanji loooked at the plate with panic. Oscar was snickering behind their hand. "Can you take this to my husband? The moron won't remember to have lunch, unless it's brought to him." she said with tired eyes.

Wasn't it night time not even two hours ago? How is it already lunch time? Then again they did run around outside for a while, and they were underground for just as long. Are there any windows in this building?

"Alright!" Luffy said cheerily, grabbing the plate and ran off to the vice admiral's office. Tani felt a pit in her stomach, which Oscar managed to make even worse.

"He's gonna be found out in the next," they held up a hand and counted down. "About 3 minutes, he's going to eat all the food on the plate." Oscar laughed. That sounds like Luffy...

"Should we tell Sanji?" Tani questioned with rising worry, motioning towards the blonde chef, who was pining for the scary chef lady. Oscar looked nervous with excitement at the idea. "If we get caught, we're fu-"

"Oh, Zoro and probably Usopp now. Have both been captured and sent to the holding cells. Sanji and Luffy break them out so it'll be fine." Oscar assured. Tani took a nervous glance at Sanji, the guy didn't even know she was here right now.

"Let's go talk to Sanji, if Luffy is about to cause trouble. We might not get to see each other again." Tani stated. Plus it looked like Oscar really wanted to meet Sanji. Tani grabbed Oscar's arm and gently guided them towards Sanji. The blonde noticing the pair approaching. He perked up at the sight of the darker girl.

"Hello, cadet dearest," he said with a smug grin, Tani felt Oscar's pulse jump. Tani gave Sanji a lady salute.

"Houston, we may have a problem. Namely a moron captain that's about to blow our cover." Tani informed. Sanji narrowed his gaze at the door Luffy left through and sighed. Oscar decided to speak up.

"I-it's ok though, yo-you both get awa-ay just fi-fine," they stuttered. Throwing their hands to their face to hide it from their idol. The blonde chef turned to the brunette and gave them a smile.

"Who's this?" he said kindly. Tani held out a hand in presentation.

"This is Oscar, they've been helping me hide. They've got bells just like I do," Tani said, Oscar gave Sanji a shy wave before hiding their face again. Sanji laughed heartily.

"Thank you for helping my dearest Tani," he thanked, Oscar nodded in acknowledgement. Sanji turned back to Tani. "Now we need to wait for Luffy to screw up and bring the whole facility down," he sighed. Man he really needed a cigarette right now.

As if on cue, Luffy came bursting through the wooden doors at mach speed. His arms held out in hook shapes that gave Tani flash backs to Loguetown... This wasn't going to be fun. The captain spotted his nakama and instantly honed in on them. Avoiding weapons and obstacles, hooking his arms around Sanji, Tani and Oscar in one swoop. Bolting away down the hall, to who knows where...

Oscar knows where.

"You'll wanna head to the right, there should be a couple more turns, but it'll take you to the bridge that leads to the holding cells." Oscar guided. Luffy nodded and followed Oscar's directions. Putting faith in someone who could be tricking them all right now. Tani wasn't completely clearing her suspicions of Oscar, as nice as they were. Then again... Luffy is an excellent judge of character and if he trusts someone, it's safe to say they're trustworthy.

"Next left and the door outside will be there," Oscar said excitedly. Luffy jumped in the air and kicked the door down with a crunch. The clacking of shoes approaching them, spurred Luffy forward. He dashed across the high suspending bridge in a blur of colour.

"Don't fire! Cadet Oscar is being held hostage!" a voice called out to all the marines who were aiming to fire. Tani turned back to find a gruff looking man, with sideburns that creeped into his cheeks. Oscar faked a fearful expression, adding to the narrative. "One wrong shot and the kids as good as dead. So hold your fire until the cadet is returned safely." he commanded. Leaving Luffy to run across the bridge without trouble.

Luffy kicked in the first door he saw at the end of the bridge, running down the stairs while still holding his nakama (plus Oscar) tightly.

"The marines have stopped chasing us, they're recouping so they can ambush you in the cells. Don't worry though, you'll get away," Oscar informed, straining their voice like they wanted to add more to the conversation. Luffy skidded to a stop. His sandals leaving behind burnout trails.

Sanji pushed himself out of Luffy's hold, dusted off his pants before realising he was still wearing the disguise. Luffy was already removing the white rags from his hat.

Tani stripped the marine uniform off, leaving her in the shirt she had underneath and the shorts she'd managed to hide under the white pants. She folded the uniform and put it in her bag, maybe she can use this later. While she was at it, she swapped the marine cap for her lucky cap. Her hair pooled out of the marine caps casing and coated her back. She missed the look in Luffy's eyes as he stared at the soft curls... Soft.

"Alright, blow this popsicle," Oscar declared. Turning to the boys before they could run off. "One of you needs to carry me around so I still look like a hostage," they said with a sheepish expression.

For once, Luffy didn't take up the role of noble stead. Which was odd because he's always clinging to people and carrying them around like rag dolls. After a beat of silence, Sanji strolled over and placed a casual hand on Oscar's shoulder.

"Normally my arms are reserved for ladies, but I'll make an exception this time," he declared, carefully picking up Oscar and throwing them over his shoulder. One arm on Oscar's back, while the other held their legs. "Let's get going then," the chef said.

"Yosh! Let's go," Luffy pointed towards the on-going hallway and started running, Tani followed beside him while Sanji trailed behind with a flustered Oscar. Who was thanking every god alive, for letting them be held by their idol.

...

The group arrived at the cells not even five minutes later, the cells were held in a dark cave made of the same rock as the tunnel they straw hats had used to get into the base. Meaning they were definitely underground. The room was cleared out, except the bickering sounds of Usopp and Zoro. Thank god they were alive.

Tani and Luffy rolled around the corner and spotted the two captured straw hats sitting in the stone cell with block cuffs over their wrists, while shackled by the ankle to the wall. Usopp's face lit up at the sight of them.

"Tani! Luffy! I'm so glad you're here, get me out. I think my 'I can't be held prisoner or I'll die' sickness is acting up again." he whined. Tani laughed at the statement, but cleared away as Luffy rolled his arm to destroy the metal ba-

"WAIT THOSE ARE SEASTONE!" Oscar called from Sanji's shoulder, the blonde dropped the marine from his hold. Oscar walked towards the cell and turned to usopp. "Impact dial, I know you have one in your right pocket," they commanded. Usopp gave them a confused look.

"Who the hell are you?" the sniper asked with slight aggression. Pulling away from the reach of Oscar. Tani held up her hands to ease the agitated sniper.

"It's alright, they're with us. This is Oscar," she introduced. Oscar waved with a big grin, then bowed. Usopp eyed them suspiciously.

"How do they know about the impact dial in my left! Pocket," Usopp said with emphasis on the word left. Oscar shook their head.

"No, in your left pocket is an aroma dial, and trust me. You don't wanna click that one," they said, eyeballing Luffy. Who looked away with his lips puckered to the right as he denied using it. What the hell did Luffy do to that dial?

"How does this guy know all about my dials? What is going on here?" Usopp questioned. He was within his rights to do so, it's pretty odd that nobody has called to question how this lone marine cadet knows so much about their crew... Well Tani knows why but she's not gonna give them away.

"I know everything that has happened, and will happen to your crew," Oscar answered cryptically, "I also know that Luffy over there," they pointed at Luffy, "Hates a boring adventure. So I'm not gonna spoil this for him." they concluded.

"Wait, you what?! How is that possible?" Usopp freaked out. Oscar laughed.

"Back home, the same home as Tani. There's a story called One piece, it's about your adventures." Oscar explained. All eyes turned to Tani instantly. The girl waved her arms in denial.

"I swear, I've never heard of this story in my life," she assured. Luffy shrugged, honestly he didn't care. As long as she didn't ruin the adventure, he would be happy. "I have a feeling that Oscar is from a whole other spot of the world," she theorised. Oscar gawked.

"One piece is the best selling manga of all time, there's no way you wouldn't have heard of it." Oscar accused. Tani taps her foot. "It's been the best seller since like 2007," they state matter-of-factly...

2007? But... But the years-

"It's 1994, what are you going on about?" Tani questions. Oscar goes to speak again, only for Usopp to call out.

"Shut up and get us out of here," he complained. Zoro was in the back, snoring up a storm in his napping state. Usopp lifted his hips up to bring his right pocket closer. Oscar dug into the pocket and lifted the dial, holding it out to Sanji.

"Tani and I can't use it or our entire arm will explode, Luffy can't touch the sea stone. So you'll have to take one for the team," Oscar explained, handing the dial to Sanji.

*clack clack clack*

"The marines are coming, hurry!" Tani called out. Oscar kept their hand held out, but turned to Tani to tell her something.

"When you escape, head for the abandoned dock, it's number 31. Merry has been moved there. I'll tell Nami and the others where to go." Oscar promised. Tani kept that information in mind.

Sanji snatched the dial from Oscar's hand, stuck it to the bars and round house kicked the poor, unfortunate shell, with the force of a bulldozer. The entire wall busted from the tops and sides of the stone wall. Bending in on itself while it dislodged from the spot.

The dust cleared to the sound of guns clicking. An army of marines had their guns all pointed towards the pirates, moving their weapons away from Oscar's direction. Tani needed to act now, or she was screwed. One shot and she's as good as dead.

Tani assessed her surroundings, right next to her was Oscar. The ally looking as calm as possible. There were also a lot of rocks that looked blunt enough for Tani to grab quickly and fake a hostage situation. Luffy was bullet proof so she'd need to shift herself and her "hostage" to be beside him, if things get messy.

Alright...

One.

She slowly crouched down, the marines kept a focus on the more intimidating looking Luffy and Zoro. The swordsman displaying his strength by literally smash his wooden cuffs over his knee. Shattering the block into saw dust.

Two..

Tani grabbed a rock, she shifted her body to face Oscar. Who was looking at her with their peripheral. Tani nodded slightly to the rock, they understood and remained still.

Three!

Tani lunged for Oscar, who let her take them hostage. Oscar let out a dramatic gasp. All marines shifted their aim to Tani, who lifted her rock up on display for the world. They froze.

"I'm going to bludgeon the hell out of this hostages head, if you even think about shooting my crew mates." Tani threatened with a snarl. Her crew looked at her like a whole new person. They'd never seen her so aggressive in her life. She couldn't turn to face them or assure them that this was all an act.

"Hold your fire," the same gruff man from before commanded, walking to the centre of the standoff. Oscar wallowed.

"Lieutenant Drake," Oscar whimpered, god they're a great actor. "Don't let them hurt me please," they said with a wobble to their tone. This made Tani feel terrible.

"Drake was it?" Tani says, glaring daggers at the man. He looks back with just as much malice. "Let me and my crew pass through safely, or I'm going to make cadet soup with this unfortunate bastards brain matter," Tani threatened. Feeling sick in the stomach at the imagery. Usopp whispering in the back about how hard core that was, is not helping.

"At ease pirate," He snarled at her. She lifted the rock higher, a threat. He tensed, looking into the terrified eyes of Oscar.

Then the rocks shifted beside Usopp and Zoro. A man popped his head through them. He looked like a classic pirate, with his sweaty singlet and ratty face.

"Ah, Condoriano! Are your memories finally back?" Usopp lied through his teeth. The man looked up at the sniper, then the swordsman, then the marines all standing around with their weapons drawn. He started yapping.

"How dare you simpletons point your weapons at me? I'm commander Shepard! When headquarters hears about this-" he was cut off when Sanji kicked him in the head. Everyone froze. The man dropped to the ground in a heap of knocked out flesh.

"We can all agree. That guy was a total pain in the ass," he stated. Funnily enough, everyone nodded their heads in agreement. The tension returned as quickly.

"Let us go, and I'll give back this cadet," Tani demanded. Drake looked conflicted... Letting out a sigh of defeat.

"Lower your weapons,"

"But sir-"

"Lower your weapons!" Drake glared. The nervous cadets did as told. Looking at the pirates like they were scum... Tani felt scummy. She dropped the rock, and pushed Oscar towards Drake. The cadet scampered towards the marines. "Clear a path for the pirates," he commanded. The marines parted like the red sea for them.

The straw hats ran for it. Speeding towards the exit, and without Oscar there to tell them what to expect, or even direct them back to the exit! They got lost... No thanks to Zoro, who managed to make it to the head of the group. They paused on the spot to reevaluate their situation. Which meant Zoro and Sanji arguing while Usopp attempted to defuse the flames of fury. Luffy looked at Tani with disappointment.

"Tani, what you did was really cowardly." Luffy commented. Tani blinked at him with hurt. "Only cowards take hostages." he huffed. Crossing his arms at her.

Tani was at a loss for words. Luffy was telling her off? For solving the situation? But it was a peaceful (relatively) solution. Nobody got hurt and both parties consented.

"Oscar was acting, we were both acting." she explained, Luffy still looked dissapointed. Tani narrowed her eyes, "It's all I could think to do, they had guns. Those could kill me in an instant," she said with a click of her fingers. "One shot to the heart, lung, brain or spot where I won't stop bleeding? Bye bye Tani," she felt heated.

"I'm immune to bullets, I could have protected you." Luffy informed, Tani rolled her eyes.

"Well I got us out of there, without a fight." she huffed, crossing her arms and looking away from her captain. "It also made me feel awful while doing it, so thanks for that," Tani pouted. Looking away from Luffy. Her chest hurt, she didn't want to be upset with him.

"She's got a point Luffy," Usopp pointed out. The captain shot him a look, Usopp didn't stand down. "If it wasn't for Tani and her friend, we would have had to fight our way out. Tani would have been in danger," he pointed out, patting her on the shoulder.

"Can we shut up and get out of here," Zoro groaned. Everyone agreed to that, making a run for the exit.

Tani ignored Luffy while he ran beside her. Acting like nothing had happened, he got over it fast but she wouldn't let it go.

Was it petty? Probably.

Did she care? A little bit, her chest still ached at the claim he made about her.

Would this bite him in the ass one day? Yes. But Tani doesn't know that. Only the author does.

...

After finding the exit and facing off against many marine soldiers, blowing up the bridge, and having to swim to safety (Tani made Zoro carry Luffy), the five of them managed to find dock 31, and just as Oscar had promised. Merry sat there in all her glory.

Usopp jumped out of the water and excitedly greeted Merry. Tani pulled herself onto the dock and headed straight for the women's room. She needed to put away that marine uniform. Leaving the boys behind to talk.

"Luffy," Sanji started, pulling out that long awaited cigarette. He inhaled the nicotine furled smoke and breathed out with relief. Luffy stood there with a curious face. "Are you going to apologise to Tani?" the blonde asked. His head tilted to the right, in a nonchalant pose.

"For what?" the younger questioned. Sanji sighed, smoke danced from his lips.

"For the rude shit you said to her," Sanji almost growled. Usopp stood beside Sanji with his arms crossed.

"Yeah, calling her a coward was pretty harsh." Usopp mentioned. "She was just trying to-"

"What she did was cowardly, I'm right." Luffy claimed, knocking his hat off his head to rest on his back. Usopp hummed.

"You're not wrong, hostage situations are cowardly." he agreed, Luffy went to smile at the validation, but Usopp held up a finger. "But, it was also the smartest action to take during that situation," Usopp stated.

"How? We could have beaten all of those guys up," Luffy argued. Sanji sighed.

"We certainly could have. All of use would have come out of it with barely a scratch." Sanji said. Luffy motioned to the chef. "Everyone, except Tani." he finished. Leaving Luffy with a somewhat shocked expression.

"Have you forgotten that Tani is extremely fragile?" Usopp reminds. "Those marines mentioned that the cadet she was holding hostage, could be killed with a single bullet. The cadet who is from the same world as Tani," Usopp continued. Luffy's face dropped, the realisation dawning on his features, before he stomped on it and doubled down.

"We could have protected her! She wouldn't have died-"

"You don't know that Luffy," Sanji cuts him off. Luffy looked more and more like a kicked puppy. "It takes one split second for a bullet to go flying and hit her," he motioned with his cigarette. Tapping his pointer finger into Luffy's chest. "Right into her heart. Instantly killing her," he said solemnly.

"Tani doing what she did, ensured her own safety while keeping ours in mind too." Usopp added. "Sometimes the cowards way out, means surviving another day." he declared. Luffy seemed conflicted.

At that moment, Tani walked out onto the deck. Sensing an awkward tension in the air. She looked between Luffy, Usopp and Sanji. Luffy's expression was one she'd never seen before.

Guilt.

He looked guilty, and Tani had a feeling that she was the cause of it. Usopp and Sanji looked at Tani, then Luffy.

"Hey Sanji, mind helping me with this thing I need help with?" Usopp asked the blonde. Grabbing his by the arm and pulling him towards the kitchen.

"Of course Usopp, I can help with that thing." Sanji said robotically. Following Usopp away. Leaving Tani and Luffy on deck, with a napping Zoro.

It was awkward. Luffy was avoiding her gaze, opting to stare at the deck with his hands balled. He shook slightly, like he was angry but to who? Tani didn't want to find out.

"I'm gonna go-"

"I'm sorry,"

The world froze, time seemed to stop around the pair. The words that left his mouth, slam dunked into the hoop that is Tani's brain.

"You're sorry?" she questioned. Was he only saying sorry because the boys made him? Honestly though...

"Ok, apology accepted," she smiled. She meant it, being mad at Luffy was hard. He said sorry, and looks like he meant it. So that's a step in the right direction. Luffy lifted his head in shock, like he was expecting far worse. "What? You think I'm gonna stay mad over something so silly. Sure it hurt my feelings, and you were a total ass about it." she giggled. "But I'm fine, we got out just fine and I've always known you were blunt as a rock." she concluded.

Walking briskly towards the frozen boy, she threw her arms forward. Wrapping them around his shoulders in a tight embrace.

Luffy noticed everything. The way her wrists clinked together when the burned gold cuffs made contact. The way she kept her weight on the leg that hadn't taken a direct hit from Enel's lightening. How her torso was leaning so she wouldn't put pressure on her bruised side...

She was fragile. Very easy to break. He could have lost her today, if she hadn't done the cowardly thing... No. It wasn't cowardly, she never put Boxcar in danger. She was lying, just like Usopp would. It felt like he'd taken 100 fists of love from Gramps. It hurt to feel so bad in the chest. He'd never felt this way before.

He lifted his arms and slowly enclosed them around the girl. He held her tight, he wouldn't let anything happen. Tani sighed softly in his ear.

"Thank you," she said simply. No more, no less. It lifted some weight off his chest, yet filled it with something else. That weird hungry feeling he felt back on drum island when she was laughing in the snow. Weird and fluttery.

He liked it a lot.

Luffy grinned and smooshed his cheek into her own. The pair laughing away the tension of their earlier spat. Something that in hind sight, was really stupid. Usopp and Sanji smiled from their spot in the kitchen window, giving each other a fist bump. Mission accomplished.

Zoro continued to snore away on the floor, without a care in the world.

...

Operation 'Escape from G-8' was in action. Nami and Chopper arrived in no time, donning nurse/doctor attire. Robin was still MIA, but she's Robin. She'll pop up on the boat at some random point in time, and nobody will bat an eye.

Usopp and Sanji actually did end up working on something. Oscar had left the blue prints of a marine ship in the galley, so they crafted a replica outer layer to disguise Merry as a marine ship.

The crew (excluding Robin) were back together. Tani greeted Nami and Chopper, asking them about their adventures in the marine base.

"Well, I had to help Chopper with some emergency surgery." Nami shivered. The small deer doctor snickered.

"The real doctor faints at the sight of blood, so we had to do it." Chopper said, removing the coat he was wearing. "She received a message from some marine rookie, telling her to direct us to dock 31," he informed.

"That was Oscar. They've been helping us the entire time we've been here," Tani grinned. Usopp chimed in.

"They're psychic or something, they know everything that about us... Kinda creepy," he shivered. Nami and Chopper looked at each other.

"Psychic? They can read minds?" the pair looked shocked. Tani held her hands up in an X shape.

"Wrong. Oscar knows everything about all of you," Tani informed. "You're all from something called manga? From my world." she recounted. Nami had an even more confused face.

"We exist in your world?" the redhead blinked, resting her fist in her cheek. "Then why didn't you know who we were?" she asked. Tani had a theory.

"Because this manga doesn't exist yet," she theorised. "Oscar mentioned it being the best selling manga of all time, in the year 2007. The year for me is 1994," Tani concluded. The wind picked up around them, something was coming.

"The tides going to pull out, we need to hurry up, and get out of here." Nami stated. That caught everyone's attention, "Robin will find us, let's get going," the navigator commanded. Everyone jumped to their stations.

Merry was ship-shape within minutes, sailing carefully through the open waters of the marine base. There was a gate, not too far from their location. Oscar must have picked the closest unoccupied dock.

A low humming noise, tickled Tani's ear. She twisted her head around to spot a small figure, gliding along the waters towards them. Black hair waving behind her, purple attire standing out against the navy blue ocean.

"Robin!" came a few cheers, the woman gracefully rode Nami's waver towards the Merry. Which caught Nami's attention.

"Wait a second..." she paused, running into the treasure room. Not even a minute later, came an enraged shriek. "IT'S GONE!" Nami's cries echoed through out the whole base.

Robin arrived quickly, using her many arms to collect herself and the waver onto Merry. Nami was having a small panic attack on the ground, all the treasure was stolen by the marines. Robin walked past her to hand a note to Tani.

"That young marine friend of yours, wanted me to give this to you." she said, handing the note over. Tani flipped it open.

"The treasure is in Johnathan's office. He's the marine boss," oh so the room that Luffy went to, when he was delivering lunch to that chef ladies husband. "The tide will be low soon, but we should still have that octopus... Guys do we still have that octopus?" Tani asked, looking away from the letter.

The crew looked around, until Luffy was shoving his hand into the front of his pants. Pulling it back out with a distraught looking pink octopus. Tani didn't even want to think about how uncomfortable that would have been.

"... Right, now we need heat dials... Oh! we're making a hot air balloon, so we can fly over the wall." Tani concluded. "Here's my den den number, so we can stay in contact." with a smiley face at the end to sign it off. Tani giggled.

She looked over the letter again while the crew got to work. Luffy and Nami jumped onto the waver, so they could retrieve the stolen treasure. Zoro, Sanji and Robin were stretching out the octopus, while Usopp collected all the flame dials he could find. Tani's eyes caught onto a small arrow on the left bottom corner.

"P.S... Be careful of Marineford?" she questioned. Oscar was very clear about not wanting to spoil the adventure. So whatever this was... It must be important. Tani folded the letter and tucked it into her pocket.

The octopus was inflating like a balloon, the ship was sailing closer to the gate. Watching the tide, slowly pull away. Where was Luffy and Nami?

"Go! Go! Go!" came the loud voice of Nami, as the waver sped towards Merry. A massive sack of gold was hanging over Luffy's shoulders. Robin crossed her arms over her chest and summoned many arms to collect the speeding scooter.

"We're ready for take off!" Usopp called from the top of the crows nest, holding up a flame dial.

"Then take off!" Nami barked. "The winds blowing towards north, ride the wind," She instructed. Usopp called back an affirmative.

*Bang*

A loud explosion, hit the walls of the cliff. Rocks tumbled and crashed into the watery depths below. Tani whipped her head around and spotted a lone man in a boat, with a rocket launcher on his shoulder.

"Hey, isn't that the Condoriano guy?" Tani asked Zoro, he lifted his head for a moment, nodded, then went back to fixing the sails.

"Well he missed, it'll take him too long to reload before he can take another shot." Usopp called from his spot, "A rookie mistake," he mocked.

The Merry was floating higher and higher, almost over the whole wall now. Though no more attempts seemed to be made on their flying craft. The wind guided them towards the rising sun.

Once they'd made it out of view of the base completely, did they all sigh with relief. Flopping on the deck and relaxing.

They'd gotten lucky again, if it hadn't been for Oscar. A lot of things would have gone wrong... Oh right.

"Has anyone heard of Marineford?" Tani questioned. There was a choir of unsure hums, nobody was sure... Well, almost nobody.

"That's the marine head quarters, all the higher level marine officials are located there." Robin supplied, "Miss Bell, why do you ask?" she asked with curiosity. Tani sighed.

"The note Oscar gave me, it mentions being cautious of Marineford. But that seems like a reasonable thing to be wary of as a pirate." Tani said. Why would Oscar warn of that place specifically?

Hopefully the warning wouldn't be too important... But this was Oscar the psychic so... Yeah this was gonna be messy.

The crew could handle anything thrown at them. So she wasn't concerned... Mostly.


	29. Chapter 29

Merry landed safely in the ocean about half a day after lift off. Luffy caught the tired out octopus, and with a grin, bid it farewell while tossing it into the ocean. Finally! The crew was sailing on the sea again.

A wave of nostalgia hit Tani in a way she didn't think was possible. Like those people that kiss the sand when they make it to shore. Maybe it was her way of saying "Let's ban sky islands from our future adventures!"

"How's the log pose going?" Usopp asked the navigator. Nami examined the little bracelet, and sighed with relief when the dial was pointing away from the sky.

"We're on course already," she stated happily. "Everyone can relax for a while. Sanji can you fill the watering can? My trees look a little thirsty," Nami already sounded relaxed. Sanji ran to the kitchen, the sound of a tap could be heard.

"Tani," Zoro's voice called to her. He was standing beside Chopper's examination room. He gave a her look that said 'don't even think about denying my request right now'. "That bruise hasn't been checked for a while, Chopper wants to see you." the swordsman crossed his arms. Tani let out a sigh, he didn't have to play the scary bouncer card.

"Alright, I'm going." she pouted, walking past him. The door opened with a squeak, Chopper looked up from the barrel he was using as a chair.

"Tani! Take a seat, I won't be long," he chirped. Tani took a seat on the wooden bench that had a table cloth on it. Wow they really needed to give Merry a revamp. Chopper trotted back with some relaxing gel, disinfectant, cotton balls, and an array of bandages.

"I'm just going to clean up your wounds, patch up your leg, and check that bruise." he informed, hopping onto the bench beside her. Chopper worked efficiently, bandages were wrapped, wounds cleaned (which stung like hell), and her bruise was starting to fade in colour. So no severe internal bleeding! That's a win for Tani. "All better," Chopper grinned. Tani gave him a proud smile.

"Looks great doc, but I shouldn't expect anything less," she praised. Chopper danced on the tips of his hooves, his arms waving around with delight.

"Shut up bastard, I don't like being praised for my work," he sang. Tani could feel his aura glowing. Tani moved to grab a lollipop or something from her bag, yet her hands found nothing but old lint and a quarter... Hopefully the next island has a store.

"Well I'll be off," Tani waved, walking out of the room. Chopper was still dancing around with that happy face.

When Tani opened the door, she was greeted by Zoro. Who looked her up and down, noticing that her leg was covered in bandages as well as the band aids up her arms. He gave her an approving nod (something she didn't know she needed) and walked off to take a nap.

"Oi," Tani turned to find Usopp and Luffy fishing together. The pair waved her over, she did so without missing a beat. "We're catching lunch," Luffy drooled. Tani snickered, grabbing her fishing rod and plotting herself between the two.

The waters were calm, not much to catch she guessed. At least the company was nice, Usopp filled the silence with a wild story about giant robots and lions that run so fast they can sail across the ocean. If Usopp lived in her world, she is almost certain he would be working for the movie industry, or writing children's books.

Something in the air shifted, leaving Nami's skin to shiver with goosebumps... The sky was clear, but this was the Grand line... Maybe Robin wouldn't know.

"Hey, what's that?" Luffy called out, the crew turned to see a ship sailing... Well sailing is a bit much. The boat had no flag, sails, or anything really. The crew was bare bones for such a massive vessel, yet it was bare of anything.

"I knew it!" Nami growled, pointing towards Sanji. "There's a tsunami on its way. We need to stay on course or we're as good as dead," Nami said grimly.

So the ship was in a flurry, preparing for this massive tidal wave that was going to hit within the next couple of minutes. Tani got to work, tying ropes around any objects that could go flying during the natural disaster. She should start a bingo board, tick off every life threatening event she experienced, and get a complimentary gift bag on the way out.

The boat beside them started begging for help, crying and screaming as the wave approached. There wasn't time to help them, their boat was large enough to keep them from capsizing. Hopefully they survived.

The wave dwarfed the Merry, roaring towards them like a stampede. Nami remained confident in the face of such danger. Her leadership skills having saved them more times then Tani can count. This time was no different.

Merry practically glided up the wave, similarly to how they rode the knock up stream. Tani wanted to throw up, but that's to be expected, she's tired of all these heights! Maybe she needs to start a law suit against god? That sounds reasonable.

The ride was over before they knew it, Merry made it out without any harm. Tani turned back to see that the other boat got away without any real damage either, so her conscious was cleared. However the boat was too far away for them to turn around and check up on the crew.

"I think I see an island ahead!" Usopp cheered. A feeling of thrill, bubbled through the crew, Tani was just happy to have an island that wasn't suspended a bazillion feet in the air.

This should be a relaxing, fun adventure.

...

This island was weird! Completely barren, excluding the thinly stretched trees that were spaced out, and the long animals that wandered around. Tani ended up getting dragged along with Luffy, Usopp and Chopper. Much to the protest of Nami.

"Why is everything so looooooooooong?" Tani questioned. Looking at the elongated dog that wandered past. A giggle was made beside her.

"Hey, that's a Biiiiiiiiiird!" Luffy barked with laughter, a crane with twiggy legs and a neck the length of a small building. Walked by without paying them any mind.

"That's a beeeeeeeeear," Chopper pointed out with a snicker. The bears arms and legs were stretched like play-doh.

"Is that a kitty caaaaaaaaaat?" Tani wheezed. Spotting a cat with a long torso, rolling around in the grass.

"Look! It's a hoooooooooorse," Usopp laughed, pointing at the white saddled horse with legs for days. The horse in question, gave a whine and trotted away. Chopper hummed.

"She said to follow her?" he commented. Chopper shifted to walking point and followed the horse, Tani, Luffy and Usopp followed behind the doctor. "We're getting closer." the deer assured.

The horse stopped in front of two bamboo sticks. Her head pointing at the sticks, she let out a whine. Chopper nodded.

"There's someone on top of these, he's been up there for... TEN YEARS?!" Chopper shrieked. Was the guy still alive? Best find out-

"Gum gum whip!" Luffy called out, his leg sweeping the ground.

Usopp grabbed Tani and jumped over Luffy's leg as it flew towards the bamboo posts. The sniper giving Luffy a small rant about being careful. Which was ignored as the sound of a man shouting could be heard. A smack to the ground, and a puff of dust later. An middle aged man laid on the ground with his arms spread out like a starfish.

The horse whined excitedly, clopping towards the man and shoving her face into his torso. Nuzzling him with a pet like pride... Man Tani wishes she had a pet... Chopper doesn't count.

"Oh, my head..." the man groaned. Rubbing at his head, turning to see the horse and smiling so wide, all his teeth (what was left of them) were on display. "My Shelly! My darling horse, I'm so happy you're still here," he grinned. Hugging into the muzzle of Shelly. Who nuzzled back.

"How did you survive up there for ten years?!" Tani blurted out. The man rubbed the back of his head and sheepishly laughed.

"Well, I couldn't get down because I'm scared of heights," he admitted. All eyes turned to Tani, who balked and crossed her arms. "So I was stuck up there until you guys knocked me over," he explained.

"Why didn't the horse do it?" Usopp questioned. Oh darling, when has common sense ever been a part of this universe? Tani laughs to herself.

"Doesn't matter, the guys down now." Tani pointed. The man stood up and bowed.

"I'm sorry, where's manners? I'm Tonjit, it appears my people have vacated the island." he says solemnly. "Shelly and I will find them again. Won't we girl?" he smiles sweetly. Shelly cheerfully whines, pushing her snout into his face.

Tonjit mounted the horse, grabbed the reins and started to ride her around the small field area. It was wonky at first, but just like riding a bike, he managed to get into the swing of things. Galloping around freely with his companion.

*Bang*

A gun shot sounded from behind Tani, she could feel her heart rate quicken. The world went quiet as Shelly toppled to the ground with a shriek. A small stream of blood drizzled from her shoulder. Chopper was running towards her, already whipping out the bandages in his bag. Luffy, Usopp and Tani turned around to find and kick the ass of whoever shot at Shelly.

Standing there was a man, roughly Luffy's height. He had a cartoony face shape, with a large nose and jutting chin. He looked like Dick dastardly's fat brother. The archetypal, moustache twirling villain.

Tani instantly hated him. His vibe made her feel like he was going to be more trouble than he's worth.

"BULLS EYE!" he cheered. Blowing on his still smoking weapon. Luffy stormed forward.

"You bastard! You shot Shelly, I'm gonna kick your ass," Luffy snarled. Dastardly huffed and laughed, come on he even had the evil laugh!

Beside the guy stood a monkey looking guy that laughed like Muttley, and a girl with pointy features that may as well have been Penelope Pitstop. The whole Wacky races cast came here to shoot at an innocent horse and harass the crew... Oh no.

"You haven't touched the rest of our crew have you?" Tani sneered. Dastardly ignored her.

"Actually!" Penelope clone started, her voice a high pitched siren. "Our captain has come to challenge your captain to a game," she snickered. The monkey muttley snickered with her.

"I don't care! I'm gonna a kick your ass!" Luffy barked. The other captain smirked. "I don't even know who you are!" Luffy growled.

"I'm the great Foxy! Captain of the Foxy pirates," Foxy replied, he pointed his gun towards Luffy. "Fight me in a Davy back game," he challenged.

There was a beat of silence, when Usopp panicked and yelled at Luffy.

"Wait a minute Luffy!" he stared at Foxy, "If you accept this, and lose. You could lose nakama," he warned. Shaking in his boots. Tani gasped. What kind of awful game would... Pirates, of course pirates would-

"I accept! I wanna kick your ass," Luffy accepted. Tani felt the floor leave her. That idiot!

"Luffy, what have you done?!" Tani shrieked. Holding onto Usopp in despair, Usopp was just as sullen.

"Fire a gun in the air, and let the games begin." Foxy grinned. Tossing a gun towards Luffy. Who grabbed it.

Tani and Usopp both begged for Luffy not to-

*Bang*

*Bang*

-Fire...

"LUFFY! NO!" The duo cried. Falling to the floor into a pathetic pile of mush. Luffy turned to face Shelly, pointing at her.

"You better recover fast," he said. Only to see the horse was totally fine. Even Chopper was surprised at the speedy recovery.

Well now their crew was participating in a game, one that could mean the matter of losing friends, or gaining allies... Tani had a bad feeling about this. If Foxy was anything like Dastardly, this guys a cheating scoundrel.

"Ready, Straw hat?" Foxy snickered. Luffy huffed.

"Of course I'm ready, two piece head," he replied, turning away from Foxy when he dropped to the floor and whined about the insulting name.

Luffy grabbed the pile of weeping nakama, tossed them both over his shoulders and carried them back to the Merry. Chopper trotting behind slowly.

This was going to be a nightmare.

...

"The rules are simple!" the announcer from the recently built stage started.

"Rule 1: The contestants of each game, are picked by their captain. This is before the games are played, so no chopping and changing! Once that sheet is submitted, that's it! Also you can only participate once, so choose wisely!"

That's a reasonable rule. It means that you can't just decide to fill in a spot with a newly gained crew mate, or fill in a spot that's been lost. The one per event rule means you can't fill every slot with your entire crew.

"Rule 2: If a crew mate is lost, you can win them back in the next round. Only if you win! Once the games are over, you can't just return to your original crew. Unless both captains agree to another round of games, and win you back!"

Alright, that's also reasonable. It means the stakes are real. Tani felt her skin sweat, she looked at her crew. The fear of losing them, crawled up her spine. She couldn't handle losing them all.

"Rule 3: all crew members that are won, must swear allegiance to their new crew,"

As painful as that would be, god imagine swearing yourself to a loser like Foxy... It is a rule.

"Rule 4: our lucky last! No cheating is allowed. All those caught cheating, will be suspended and penalised."

Yeah there's no way in hell, that the Foxy pirates would be playing fair. Not only were they too confident, but Foxy looked like Dastardly, so Tani didn't trust him at all.

"How many games, Straw hat?" Foxy asked. Holding up three fingers. "We can play a max of three-"

"Three games then," Luffy cut him off. Foxy dropped to the ground and wallowed about being interrupted. Luffy turned back to his crew. Half of which were complaining, with the other looking indifferent or excited.

A guy walked over with a sheet of paper, on the sheet listed the events and what order they would be in. Now the crew needed to convince Luffy to pick the right events for each of them. Tani wasn't going to let him pick wrong.

"So," Tani started, grabbing the sheet, taking on a team leader persona. She never got the chance to do this at school, but this was feeling like a sports carnival. "The first event is a donut race, second is called groggy ring, and last is... Luffy you need to sign me up for this one," she read. Showing him the page. The final event was called roller race.

"The donut race is a lap around the island, you need to build a boat out of three barrels and some rope... God I hated that activity at camp..." Tani read out.

"Usopp and I can do the donut race." Nami volunteered. "It's a boat race. So I can use my clima-tact to give us an air boost. While Usopp builds the boat." she suggested. Tani nodded. Turning to Luffy.

"What are your thoughts?" she asked. Making him feel included would be the best way to guarantee victory. Luffy nodded. Tani smiles, and that makes Luffy's stomach flip.

"What are the rules for the groggy ring?" Chopper asked. Looking at the sheet, "Oh its a ball game, you need to knock the ball into another teams goal, but you can't use weapons." he read. Tani pondered for a moment.

"This has football vibes. Which is a kicking game, so I think Sanji should be in this game." Tani concluded. Sanji twirled on the spot. "I would also say Zoro, since he's got a quarter back build." this stopped Sanji's twirling, the boys glared daggers at each other. "However the pair couldn't work together if they tried, so one of them has to move-"

"That's perfect! They're on that event," Luffy declared. Tani's face dropped. Sports are about working together, and those two work as well with each other, as a cat in water.

"What about Robin and Chopper?" Tani asked. Pointing at the open slots on the other games. The Donut race and Groggy game, could both take one more player. While the roller race could have up to five. Robin lifted her hand.

"Might I join the donut race?" she asked. Luffy nodded. Writing her name down on the sheet. Tani felt uncomfortable with the Sanji/Zoro team up...

"Hey Chopper, you should join the Groggy ring. So you can keep those two from murdering each other," she suggested. Turning to Luffy, "Unless you wanna do that one. It seems like a game you'd enjoy-"

"No! The captain needs to play in the final round. So he can prove he's the best," Luffy declared. Tani rolled her eyes fondly. Watching as Luffy wrote down Chopper's name.

So her and Luffy were going to play in the same game together... The thought made her heart race. Her head filled with a nice thought, the two of them holding hands and riding around a roller skating ring. Wide smiles, Luffy tripping over his feet... Wait! Does Luffy know how to-

It was already too late, he'd handed the form in. Stupid thoughts, making Tani act like a teenager!

"All sheets have been returned!" the announcer cheered. "Our first event will be the donut race, all participants please head to the shore line. You have 3 hours to build the ultimate boat," the guy instructed. Nami, Usopp and Robin all got up and started heading over. When Tani tapped Robin on the shoulder, handing her the Scorkel.

"Just in case you fall off the boat, those things are normally very unstable." Tani said sheepishly. Robin looked at the device, then back at Tani with humour.

"Thank you Miss Bell," the woman smiled. Holding the device and continued walking with her team mates.

While they waited for the event to start, the remaining crew members were not allowed to watch the boats being built. So the Straw hat crew decided to wander around the many stalls that had been set up.

"Hey Tani," Luffy called for her attention, grabbing her hand in the process. "Look at this thing," he dragged her along. Much to the protests of Sanji and Zoro, who disappear into the crowd of Foxy pirates.

Luffy stopped in front of a meat stand, with all kinds of barbecued meats being stuck onto sticks. All of them looked mouth watering, the puddle of drool under Luffy being a clear indication that he agreed.

"We need all of them!" Luffy demanded to the man running the stall. He gawked at the captain. Before naming a price that was far too much for the pair of them combined.

"I'll take three of the beef skewers then, the biggest sizes you have. Please," Tani ordered. The man nodded and handed her the meat sticks. She turned to Luffy and handed him two of them. "We should head back to the others, I'm sure Sanji and Zoro are at each others heads." Tani snickered. Luffy hummed, chewing on the little remains of his first stick.

"They've got Chopper, you said that he would be able to stop them from fighting." Luffy reminded. Tani sighed fondly.

"There's only so much Zoro and Sanji, that Chopper can control before they're literally at each others throats." Tani replied. Luffy finished his first stick of meat, Tani wasn't even half way done with hers.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Zoro and Sanji care about each other a lot." Luffy claimed, and Tani couldn't agree more. They had this odd way of showing their affection. Maybe they both had brothers at home? Tani wouldn't know what it's like.

"Were you like that with Ace and Sabo?" Tani asked. Instantly tensing, right... Sabo was-

"All the time, Ace used to be really mean to me. He would hit me on the head because I cried a lot, it didn't hurt though." Luffy replied, not at all affected by the inclusion of Sabo. "Sabo wasn't as mean, but he still hit me when I was too loud, or ate all the meat." Luffy said fondly.

"I wish I had brothers, or sisters. I don't mind which one." she revealed. Luffy went quiet, letting her speak, "Mum was left alone, the moment she revealed she was pregnant with me. That bastard left her, going back to his girlfriend or something." Tani clenched her jaw. Luffy could feel the bubbling distaste, radiating off his nakama.

"I hate him... I hate that he left my mum alone." Tani said with heat, taking an unnecessarily aggressive bite off her meat stick. "But, it doesn't matter." she cooled off, turning to face Luffy with appreciation, "Mum was the best, I don't need some dead-beat in my life... And I have you," she blushed. Luffy looked at her with an emotion she couldn't read... Oh that must have sounded weird.

"Oh and the others, all of my nakama," she saved. Luffy lost the glow in his look, but not by much. He took this opportunity to grab her hand again, which she took.

"Ace hates his dad too, whenever he was sad. We would go out and punch something." he recounted. So Ace hated their dad? Tani's never heard about Luffy's parents.

"What are your parents like?" she asked curiously. Luffy shrugged.

"I don't have any," he brushed off. "Dadan is like a mum, she's a mountain bandit that's very nice even if she tries to be mean." he said fondly. "And Makino taught me lots of things, like how to use manners, or do up buttons on my clothes." he grinned.

"But you said Ace hates his dad? Aren't you brothers?" Tani questioned. Luffy nodded.

"We are brothers! His dad is-" Luffy slapped his hands over his mouth to stop himself from saying anything more. Tani got the message, very secret, probably not comfortable to talk about. "We're brothers because we shared a cup of sake," he said, covering his mouth again.

"Brothers by oath," she suggested. Luffy nodded, still covering his mouth.

"I'm glad you had people in your childhood. You wouldn't be you, without them," she stated. Luffy dropped his hands from his mouth. She went to continue-

"I'm glad you're alive, so you could be my nakama," he gave that iconic Luffy laugh. Tani's heart soared.

She wants to kiss him so bad!

He shoved the entirety of the second stick into his mouth, and spat it out clean.

Yeah, she'd still kiss him. Even if he was kinda gross.

"The donut races will commence in one hour! Please head to the stands." an announcement sounded. Right, they had a game to win. Now's not the time to be thinking about things like kisses. Tani held Luffy's hand and dragged him towards the stands area.

They had a team to cheer on.

...

The set of benches were massive, set up in a way that reminded the dark skinned girl of a stadium. Tani sat between Sanji and Luffy, with Chopper sitting on Zoro's shoulders. When Luffy and Tani had found the arguing crew mates, they decided it would be for the best that they were separated. They need to be at the top of their game before playing the groggy game.

"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you!" the announcer said with excitement. Tani could feel the hype, her body screamed at her to jump up and cheer. All those years of rallying had stuck. "Our participating teams!" a wild round of applause followed.

"Representing the Foxy crew: we have the lovely Porche! Capote and Monda!" out sailed a small boat, with the Penelope pitstop girl blowing kisses towards the crowd. Many men (and a couple of women) swooned. The boat was expertly built, as if built by a team of shipwrights.

"And representing the Straw hat crew: We have Nami, Usopp and Robin!" a cheer that wasn't as intense was let out by the crowd. Tani and the other straw hats being the loudest. A small and very well crafted boat came bobbing out. Usopp was at the helm. The boat had a paddle system, built like a bike. Robin had bloomed a pair of legs to push the peddles, Nami was clicking her clima-tact together.

"Are we ready!" the announcer asked. The crowd cheered loudly. "I can't hear you!" the crowd cheered louder.

"Ready!"

The boats bobbed, anticipation filled the air.

"Set!"

Tani was on the edge of her seat. A wild grin on her face.

"Go!"

A gun shot went off, and off the boat roared, with the Foxy team taking the lead. Though team Straw hat wasn't far behind. They disappeared around the corner, but the commentator was announcing everything that happened.

"Team Foxy has the lead, and are fast approaching the coral forest."

"Team Straw hat has gained a speed boost! The teams are neck and neck!"

"Oh it appears the Straw hats have stopped paddling, and are letting the current take their boat ahead. They're now in the lead!"

"Now team Foxy has made it out of the coral forest, but is it too late? The Straw hats have a massive lead."

Their boat turned the corner, drawing towards the finish line. Usopp was steering with vigour, Nami was still blasting wind behind them, and Robin smiled softly as her legs paddled quickly.

"They're gonna-"

Tani turned to Luffy in horror, slapping a hand over his mouth.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," she glared. The captain nodded, wide eyed. The Foxy boat appeared around the corner now, though it was still too far away to take over in time-

What was Foxy doing?

The Straw hat boat was less than 5 feet from the finish line, when Foxy called out.

"Noro noro beam!" he held his hands out in a diamond shape, a purple-pink beam aimed directly at their boat. Hitting them... And they weren't moving... No wait they are but it's slow motion?

...NO!

The Foxy boat came speeding past them. Claiming victory for the Foxy pirates.

NO NO NO NO!

this can't be happening...

Tani turned to face Luffy with fearful horror, but he was still facing the races. Watching at their teams boat returned to normal speed, and and everyone held a grime expression. Well except Robin, but she's Robin.

"Team Foxy claims victory!" the announcement declared. Tani felt her heart ache. Who were they going to lose? Who would they need to fight, to get back?

The benches cleared out, everyone standing before the platform that the host used.

"Team Foxy, it's time to decide which straw hat you want," came the dreaded announcement. The crew seemed to huddle together, some more obvious than others. Usopp, Nami and Sanji were holding each other. Chopper was holding Robins hand, and Tani felt herself standing beside Zoro and Luffy. All of them close together.

Foxy stood forward, twirling his Dick dastardly moustache with a smirk. He eyed everyone on the crew up, breaths hitching everytime.

"Pick the tanuki! Foxy, pick the fluffy one he's so cute," Porche squealed. Pointing at Chopper, who froze and hid behind Robins leg. Tani closed her eyes.

"That one," Foxy declared. Tani flinched, she didn't dare open her eyes. She couldn't possibly watch as her nakama, someone who felt like family to her. Was potentially lost forever...

"No! I don't wanna go," came the cries from Chopper. His sobs felt like a nail to the coffin. Tani turned to watch as Chopper was pried from Robins leg, kicking and screaming for his nakama to come back. Begging for them to save him.

"I only went out to sea, to have adventures as a Straw hat," he sobbed. Tears and snot catching on his fur. He was tossed to Porche, who snuggled into the dry parts of his fur. Cooing about how cute he is. His cries continued, so Zoro snapped.

"Chopper," he said sternly, the deer gave a hopefully look. "Stop crying, don't disgrace the Straw hat name," he spoke darkly. Chopper closed his trap, letting out the occasional hiccup.

"You chose to come to sea, we didn't make you." Zoro continued. Nami went to tell Zoro off for his harsh words, but Zoro continued, "Sit back, shut up, and watch us win you back," he ordered. That devilish look in his eyes, there's no way they can lose this next game.

Zoro turned to Sanji, his aura was different from earlier. The two men met each others gaze, nodding in agreement. Sanji sighed, lighting a cigarette.

"If I need to work together with that beast, to get our nakama back. I will," Sanji declared. Turning to face Zoro, the green haired man huffed.

"Make sure you can keep up, I don't want two nakama crying on the other side." Zoro almost snorted. Sanji reacted with... Amusement.

"Like I'd risk losing one of our lovely ladies to the other crew." Sanji smirked. Oh my god are they getting along?! This would be a first.

Luffy laughed heartily. Looking back at Chopper with a grin.

"We'll get you back Chopper!" Luffy promised. Tani called out.

"You won't be a Foxy pirate for long! We're going to win," she assured. Nami and Usopp joined the cheering. Chopper gave a happy sob, but quickly hid it under a tough guy face.

Now they just needed Zoro and Sanji to work together long enough to win this next game.

...

The groggy game wasn't really what Tani was expecting when she heard ball game... Namely that one of the team mates had to play the ball. Since Chopper had been removed from the game, it was difficult to convince one of the boys to play the ball.

"This isn't manly at all," Sanji whined, tossing the ball hat back at Zoro. Who caught it and threw it at Sanji again.

"It would fit you perfectly then, love cook," Zoro mocked.

"You're the moss ball, it would suit you better," Sanji spat back.

"Swirly brow!"

"Demon algae!"

"Hey Sanji, you should wear the ball," Nami stated nonchalantly. Sanji immediately donned the ball hat. Clipping it on before his brain had a chance to resist. Zoro put his hand on his chin.

"Wow Sanji, very handsome," he complimented smugly. Sanji turned around and glared at him.

"Yeah, he looks like a prince," Tani complimented, trying to keep the cool. Sanji turned to face her with a loving expression. Zoro rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, prince of the dumbass kingdom-" Sanji took a swipe at the man's head. Zoro went to grab his swords, but Usopp was standing there with them held in his arms.

The two bickering boys kicked and punched at each other, not causing any real damage. When Nami walked over and knocked them both in the head.

"Focus, we need to be in our A-game if we wanna win Chopper back," Nami almost snarled. The boys quieted down, standing straight beside each other like soldiers.

"Players take your positions, all non participating parties. Please step away from the marked location," the announcer called. Tani gave the boys a thumbs up, she believed in them. They'd fight hard for Chopper. Sanji blew her a kiss, which she returned with a childish grin. Tani turned to Nami and Robin.

"What's the bet that they're gonna have a bad first half, only to learn the power of team work and pull a total 180 and kick ass," Tani bet. Nami nodded in agreement.

"This first half will be brutal. They need time to sync up," Nami theorised. Luffy hummed.

"It won't take them too long. I trust them," Luffy said, shoving a takoyaki ball into his mouth. Where did he get that? They could thank Chopper for that.

The reindeer was so cute that he managed to scam for some takoyaki balls for the whole crew. Tani took a box from the vendor, they looked like battered balls of something. Taking a bite, she found? Calamari? No wait, that's squid. This was octopus, because they have suckers. Well whatever fish it was, it tasted pretty good.

Tani bounced on her feet, feeling the electricity in the air. Her wrists ached from the extra weight on them (Stupid Enel and his dumb gold). Hopefully they could find someone to remove the cuff blocks soon.

"On the right half of the ring, we have team Straw hat! Featuring Zoro and Sanji," came the intro. The straw hats cheered loudly for their team (Robins was more in spirit than actual volume). The Foxy crew wasn't as enthusiastic.

"And in the left half of the ring, We have the GROGGY MONSTERS! Featuring Hamburg, Pickles and Big Pan,"

The cheers were wild, as three giant monkeys. Each on bigger than the other, stood at the other end of the ring. This only spells trouble. Sanji and Zoro will need to get their shit together early, or they could lose another nakama...

"Let the game-"

Tani balled her hands together. She had to believe in them.

"Begin!"

The biggest Groggy monster (Big Pan) was the holder of the ball. Which meant that the boys needed to knock him into the goal. Even if it was as simple as grabbing his head and shoving it into the ring.

The start of the game was brutal, the second it started. The Groggy teams middle monkey (Pickles) charged forward to tackle grab Sanji. Who jumped over the tackle and bounced off the guys head. Using this momentum, Sanji launched himself towards Big Pan. Sanji was going straight for the kill.

That is, if he hadn't slipped on the giants slippery skin. Foxy laughed beside the Straw hats, the crew gave him a dirty look.

"Big Pan is part Fishman, he's inherited a mudskippers skin." Foxy grinned. Tani slapped her face. What are the odds.

Big Pan took Sanji's distraction as an opportunity to send Sanji flying. He smacked the man so hard that he was launched towards the other side of the field. Hamburg and Zoro both jumped up to catch Sanji. Sanji focused on Zoro's position, if he could just aim himself towards the-

"Swipe tackle," Pickles called out. Slamming into Zoro's side, Sanji tensed as his waist was caught tightly by Hamburg. He was spun around and tossed towards their goal. It can't end like this! Not so soon!

Sanji gets no time to recover, as he's caught mid air by Pickle. Where the hell was Zoro?! The green haired man was currently spitting out blood on the field. He looked up at Sanji, who looked fearful. He couldn't stop moving, Zoro watched from his position on the ground. Big Pan was planning to throw Hamburg, if he just-

Pickles came rushing towards Zoro, but something in him allowed him to dodge in the knick of time. He dodged and jumped towards Sanji, he just needed to knock Hamburg out of the way, or catch Sanji. Both sounded as easy as each other...

Tani looked between the game, and her spectating crew. Usopp was biting his nails nervously, Nami held her hands together tightly, Robin looked amused, and Luffy had this determined look in his eyes.

Zoro managed to knock Hamburg off course, leaving the monkey open for Sanji to counter attack. The blonde whipped out his leg, and kicked Hamburg towards Pickles at mach speed. The two collided, sending them outside the ring! They're out!

Tani, Usopp and Nami all cheer together. Calling out how cool Sanji and Zoro are. Sanji gets all blushy and happy at the praise, Zoro whacks him on the head.

"Pay attention, we haven't won yet." Zoro snarls. Sanji glared at him, rubbing at the back of his head.

"Well maybe you shouldn't be hitting me, aren't we meant to be working together." Sanji sneered. Zoro looked at him with that 'keep it up, and I'll rip your legs off' expression.

"They're losing focus-"

As the words left Nami's mouth. Big Pan comes running forward, his shoes giving off a suspicious metallic gleam. Zoro pushes Sanji out of the way, diving the opposite direction at the last second. Tani could see a cut appear on Zoro's arm. Sanji got up off the ground to find Zoro running away from Big Pan, who was chasing him with his blade laced boots.

"Oi! That's a weapon, what the hell is the ref-" Sanji turned to spot the referee was looking away from the field. Whistling as he paid no mind to the cheating that took place. Sanji turned to storm over and give the referee a piece of his mind, when Tani and Usopp both waved for him to stop.

"Help Zoro, we can handle this," they wink at him. Sanji looks conflicted, but the sound of Zoro getting kicked to the ground made him shake his head and rush to the swordsman's aid.

Tani and Usopp walked towards the 'oblivious' ref, Tani tapped her shoe and crossed her arms.

"Hey," she called out with a pissed expression. The ref turned to look at her, avoiding the field. "You're not doing a very good job as the referee if you aren't looking at the field. I'm afraid you're unresponsive nature has made you unfit for the job," Tani sighed. Turning to Usopp.

"My companion here, just happens to be the greatest referee in the whole of the world. Having been present in over 1000 games, and always catching the violations." Tani lied, Usopp had taught her well. "So, since we see you as unfit for your position... Get off the chair," Tani glared. The referee was frozen at the peaceful call out. Foxy stormed over to argue-

"What are you doing?" Nami questioned, standing before the captain with her arms crossed like a bouncer. She was scarier than Tani could ever be. Foxy looked terrified.

"Alright, off the chair." Tani said, pushing the pathetic ref out of the chair. Usopp flew up the ladder to the seat and with a deep breath. Blew the whistle, it's sound echoed loudly.

The game froze, Sanji and Zoro were still spinning around in... Did Big Pan make a loop with his skin? That's so gross.

Pickles and Hamburg were standing on the sidelines, holding weapons like they were about to reenter the ring. Usopp held up a red card.

"Violation! Hamburg and Pickles were sent out of the ring. That means you two are out!" Usopp declared. The two looked at Usopp like they're only just been caught with their hand in the jar. Usopp then turned to Big Pan, "Violation! Use of weapons, is prohibited in the rules. Please remove your shoes." Usopp declared. Sitting on his chair like he owned the joint.

Tani stood at the foot of the chair, ready to fight anyone that stood in their way. Foxy gave Nami, Usopp and Tani an angered glare. They would pay for this.

Big Pan does as he's told, removing his shoes... And he immediately starts slipping around on his own feet. The shoes must have been preventing his skin from affecting him. Zoro and Sanji turn to each other, a devilish grin mirrored the smug satisfaction of the other.

"Let's get this over with... How does ten seconds sound?" Sanji smirked. Zoro only needs to nod in agreement.

They assess the situation, watching as the ball for the other team was slipping and sliding all over himself. Sanji turns to face Zoro at the same time.

"Don't touch the skin, I'd aim for the hair," Sanji suggests to Zoro, who huffs at him.

"Don't have to tell me twice, idiot cook." he insults, but there's a hint of endearment in the way he mocks the chef. Sanji let's out a small puff of laughter.

"I'll set him up," Sanji declares, before breaking off into a sprint.

"10!"

Sanji slides across the grass until he's behind the now toppling Big Pan.

"9"

Zoro walks towards the position for the set up.

"8!"

Sanji watches as Big Pan topples backwards. Just a little more...

"7"

That's it! Sanji launched himself upwards. "Anti-manner kick course!" he called out, his legs collided harshly with the slippery skin of the giant. Sending hundreds of kicks into the beast backside.

"6!"

Zoro watched as Big Pan came rushing forward. Now was his time to shine.

"5"

Sanji sprints towards Zoro, a massive grin on his face. He was having the time of his life.

"4!"

Zoro skipped over Sanji's leg, which whipped out for the swordsman to land on. Zoro's feet planted on the chefs long leg. The two of them smiling wildly.

"3"

Sanji kicked Zoro towards the stunned giant. The swordsman grabbed at the non-slip hair. Twisting it into his grip.

"2!"

Zoro flipped over Big Pans head, shocking the Foxy pirates with just how strong he was. Zoro thrust his arms forwards.

"1"

Big Pan's head slammed into the goal. Ending the game. The cheers from the Straw hats was wild! Usopp jumped from the referee chair and collided with Tani. Who hugged him tight, Nami jumped into the hug. Starting a pile.

They did it!

"Well... That was unexpected. Team Straw hat wins the Groggy ring!" the announcer calls out. Sounded just as shocked as the rest of the Foxy crew.

Sanji came running towards the small hug pile that had begun, Nami lifted and arm for him to join in. He looked so pleased with himself. Luffy pat Zoro on the back, a great pride welled up within the swordsman.

"Can both teams please head towards the platform for the team exchange," the announcer called out.

"Time to get Chopper back," Tani cheered. Looking towards the small doctor, who looked over the moon with happiness.

...

"I pick Shelly," Luffy stated with all seriousness. The rest of the crew turned to look at their captain with dropped jaws.

"THE HORSE ISN'T EVEN-"

"Sure, you can have the horse," Foxy barks with laughter. Tani stated at Luffy, who met her gaze with a snicker.

*Whack*

Nami delivered a smack to the captains head, but the request was already fulfilled. Chopper remained a Foxy pirate, while Shelly was released from the holds of the opposite crew.

At least she looked happy. Running back to her companion, crying happily. Luffy lifted his arm and pointed at Chopper, who was sobbing at not being picked.

"We're coming for you Chopper," Luffy declared. The little reindeer sobered up, trying to look as tough as he could. "We'll win the next round!" Luffy shouted to the world.

The next event was the roller race... Roller skating... Which Tani could do perfectly... But Luffy...

Wait!

"Luffy can you-" she tried to ask, but Luffy was already running away in search of lunch.

"-Skate?"

This wasn't going to end well...


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: hey everyone! I won't be too long. Sorry this chapters not the best, my state announced that it'll be going into lock down, so my mental health has taken a hit. That doesn't mean I'll stop writing! I plan on working even harder, gotta get to the arcs that I enjoy more (Water 7 I'm coming for you!) so don't worry about me slacking off. Remember to drink water, unclench your jaw and also I love and care about you guys so much!

It had been about an hour since the Straw hats had taken victory in the Groggy ring. The roller race was set to begin in the next two hours. Tani wasn't ready for it at all.

Well, Tani herself was completely confident in her ability to skate, she'd been doing it for as long as she can remember and knows she can win this... It's Luffy she's worried about.

Not once had she ever seen him in a pair of skates or blades, which would only spell disaster if he was the runner. Since the game was made for two participants per round, this meant Tani needed to deal with Luffy fumbling around his own feet.

So why couldn't she find Luffy? She needs to train him!

She'd been walking around the stalls for an hour, and still couldn't find the rubber bastard anywhere! Nobody had seen him. It was starting to get annoying and concerning...

"Nervous?" came Robin's voice from beside Tani. The younger have a jump in surprise, rubbing at her neck sheepishly.

"Yeah, I can't find Luffy anywhere." Tani admitted, "I don't think he knows how to skate, so I want to teach him before we start the game." Tani sighed. Robin held a hand over her mouth and closed her eyes with a pleasant smile.

"I can help you find him," she stated. Moving her arms to cross over her chest. "Ojos Fleur," she chanted. Tani watches with mild horror and immense awe, as hundreds of icy blue eyes start to sprout all around the grounds. From the stands, to the trees, there were even some on people's bodies! Tani heard a couple of horrified screams ring out.

"Have I ever mentioned that your powers are awesome?" Tani admired. Robin couldn't help but let out a chuckle, with small hints of that strange one she used back in Skypiea.

Robin opened her eyes again, uncrossed her arms and pointed in a random direction.

"Mr Captain is watching the ocean from a cliff not too far away," she informed. Tani quickly hugged Robin, which caused the women to freeze at the unexpected touch.

"Thanks Robin!" Tani almost shouted, letting go as fast as she'd latched on. She turned heel and ran for the cliff side. Robin recomposed herself and felt herself laughing that comforting laugh.

"Derashishishi~"

...

"Luffy!" Tani called out, the captain in question was sitting cross legged by the cliff side. He turned to her and-

"Sit down, the ocean looks pretty from here," he commanded, patting the grass next to him. Tani stood were she was and shook her head.

"Later, we have a game to practice for," she stated. Luffy flopped onto his back and stared at her with a pout. God bless his adorable face, Tani had to look away.

"Hah, I win." Luffy declared happily. Tani looked back at him with confusion. "You looked away first, so I win. You suck at staring contests." he commented. Tani glared at him, with no malice of course.

"So you gonna come learn how to skate? If we lose this game, then we lose another nakama," she said with worry. Luffy rolled onto his stomach and propped his head onto his hands. Looking up at her with that sunshine expression.

"We won't lose. You gotta stop worrying all the time," he said with all seriousness, though it took away from said seriousness when his cheeks were squished like a chipmunk. "It's kinda annoying," he says, poking his tongue out.

"I worry because you guys are always running around and getting hurt... Well would be getting hurt if you weren't all super human beasts." Tani retorts, dropping to the ground with her legs crossed. One hand rested in her lap, while the other held her head up. "I think my earth brain is still hardwired to earth logic," she joked. Luffy seemed to understand.

"Oh, so you're head is stupid and forgets that we're all super strong?" he clarified. Tani snorted a laugh, and nodded in agreement.

"Something like that, let me tell you. Some of the shit you guys do, gives me a heart attack," she said fondly. "Breaking buildings, getting stabbed and shot, falling from more than like 20 feet, I mean! We stopped a civil war and mass genocide in the span of like a month. That kinda stuff takes decades and millions of people, back home," she explained. Luffy zoned out and started absently poking at her leg.

"Back home, everything is much harder to do. It takes longer and things don't even really change too much," Tani sighed. "It's boring. I've lived more in the last couple months, than I ever have back home." she admitted, using her free hand to poke at Luffy's hand.

"Shishishi, you home sounds boring." Luffy declared. Tani couldn't agree more... Except-

"Home has movies, microwaves and my mum." she listed. The three big M's in her life. "God I miss movies," she sighed, flopping onto her back. Her arms fanned out... Wait! Now wasn't the time for relaxing and taking about the past, she had a game to train for!

Tani flicked her body forward, not noticing how Luffy was hovering closer. Their heads smacked into each other. That's twice in the last three or so days.

Luffy rubbed at the spot, it didn't hurt, it was more a bodily reaction. Tani recovered faster (that's a first!), instead she decided to give Luffy a taste of his own medicine.

She leaned over and kissed his forehead. She was sweating like a pig with how nervous she was. She knows that Luffy will take this as a "Makino said you should do this" moment, but to Tani it meant something more. She was taking that to the grave!

Luffy looked at her with that emotion, what did it mean? Tani still has no idea. The boy gave her a wonky smile, the kind that only Luffy could give, and returned the gesture.

Tani: 1

Luffy: 2

Tani was a mess, and Luffy let her know she was. He laughed at her about making her all funny again.

"Let's go train already! We have less than two hours to get ready for this." Tani pouted. Getting up off the grass, and dusting off her shorts. Luffy jumped up beside her and hooked his arm around her shoulders. Tani ignored this as best she could, focus on training. "The deck would be too small, so I found a nice spot of land that's completely flat. We can train there," Tani informed. Walking in the direction she'd found while looking for Luffy.

"Let's go then," Luffy cheered. Tani rolled her eyes fondly. Picking up the pace.

Maybe they had a chance at this.

...

They have no chance at this! At all!

Luffy was completely useless when wearing skates, tripping over his own feet and tangling his rubber limbs. His arms flailed when trying to balance, he'd smacked Tani a couple times with a random flail or dozen.

His legs wobbled worse than the time Zoro wore a single skate! Luffy had no balance what so ever when wearing skates. How the hell were they going to win this if Luffy couldn't move an inch before falling on his ass?!

"Attention all participants of the roller race,"

Tani's face dropped. Luffy was clinging to her shoulders as his legs shook, he looked pleased with himself. No concern at all.

"Please head to the arena immediately, the even will begin in the next 30 minutes," the announcer signed Tani's death wish. The pressure was on, how were they going to win if Luffy couldn't skate?

"What's wrong?" Luffy questioned. Still holding onto her shoulders for stability. "You're making a face and I don't like it," he said directly into her ear. Tani turned to her head away from him.

"I'm-" she paused. If she outwardly says she doesn't believe in Luffy's ability, then she'll just be shooting herself in the foot. They need to work as a team if they wanna win this. "-Nervous... Pre-game jitters," she spoke with honesty, she was nervous because it's a performance, but she's more concerned about winning.

"We should race to the race," Luffy laughed. Tani barked a laugh at him.

"You can't even stand up straight without falling over," she mocked. Maybe if she can rile him up-

"You're on!" Luffy said, straightening up like he'd been skating for years. Tani let him have his wobbling head start, she was more than confident in her ability to kick his ass. He kept his arms out for balance, so he moved much slower than he would be if he was swinging his arms.

Tani took off, catching up to him in less than 5 seconds. She zoomed past him with a cheeky grin, even pulling down the bottom of her eye lid and poking out her tongue. Mocking the normally overpowered captain.

Luffy took no offense to this, in fact he was enjoying seeing Tani look so cool. She was normally so nervous about her abilities. She was skating backwards, adding twirls, doing loops around him. It was really cool! He wants to do that too.

Luffy stretched out his arms and clasped around Tani's shoulders. The girl remained stable as he launched himself onto her back and piggy backed off her. She laughed.

"Give up on the race? I thought you were the type of person who liked a challenge?" she questioned cheekily. Luffy just chuckled, and she felt it in her spine. Focus! Come on Tani you can focus for more than a couple hours.

"I'll win, because you'll win and that means I win," Luffy stated logically, because Luffy logic is a mystery and a half. Tani just accepted it.

They arrived at the entrance of the arena, the rest of the crew was standing outside. Tani skidded to a halt and dropped Luffy onto the ground. The straw hat boy tripped and flopped on the ground. Nami slapped her forehead.

"We are so doomed," she sighed. Usopp pat her on the back, agreeing with resignation. Zoro crossed his arms and leaned against the arena wall.

"Have we failed yet? Don't be wallowing in self pity, if we haven't even lost yet." he spouted, his hand fiddled with the hilt of the white sword. Sanji begrudgingly agreed.

"If we go in thinking we've lost, then we have." he backed up, he took out a smoke. Robin spoke in that enigmatic tone.

"So Miss Bell... Did you manage to teach Mr Captain how to skate?" she looked amused, Luffy was still trying to get back onto his feet. Tani deadpan stared at her.

"What are we going to do about that," Nami asked, motioning towards the now tangled Luffy. How had he managed to pretzel himself... Again.

"At this point, I'm just gonna wing it." Tani sighed. "Depending on what role I'm playing in the race. If I'm a runner, we have a higher chance of winning. Protector... Yeah we're screwed," Tani explained. Luffy laughed.

"I just put your name down in some of the spots, and mine in the others." he admitted. That sounded like a death sentence.

"Well if Foxy is involved. It's gonna be a whole lot of cheats and tricks." Sanji spoke, wisps of smoke danced past his lips. "Knowing Luffy and his devils luck. We'll win this one, no matter what role you two are in," Sanji assured with a charming grin. Tani felt her confidence restoring by the second.

They just needed to win three rounds, that gave them room for trial and error in two of the rounds. This could work!

"Luffy and I can experiment a bit, the first two rounds are free game for us to fail. So long as we win three games, we can get Chopper back," Tani explained. Crouching down to lift Luffy up. The captain kept his arm around her shoulders, while the other reached over to grab her hand. Nami and Sanji looked at each other knowingly.

"Let's go, we have a game to win," Tani stated with forced hype, which seemed to work on herself. She felt more pumped to win this and prove to herself that she could do this.

They stepped into the arena together.

...

Tani slipped the numbered shirt over her head, the obnoxious yellow and red colours being a total eye sore. Her number was 2, because Luffy's the captain and he gets to be number 1. Tani didn't mind, they just needed to get first place in this race.

The Foxy team stepped forward and-

"What the hell is she doing here?" Tani asked. Pointing at Porche, who looked shocked at the call out. "She's already been in a game," Tani glared, tapping her foot.

"That's no it Porche," Foxy lied through his teeth, he motioned towards the girl. Who was now holding a baton, and zipped up jump suit. "This is Mercedes. Porche's twin sister," he introduced. Tani ground her teeth, it didn't matter. She was gonna kick her ass.

"Can the racers for round one please head to the starting line," the announcer called. Tani grabbed Luffy around the shoulders and pushed him towards the start line. The straw hat crew was cheering words of encouragement to the duo.

"This round, focus on trying to skate. We can risk losing this round," Tani spoke calmly into Luffy's ear. "Anytime to plan on doing anything that isn't skating, I want you to call out." she requested. Luffy agreed, but the look on his face said that the request went in one ear, and out the other. Tani sighed but accepted it.

"On team Foxy, we have the lovely Por- I mean Mercedes, and Jude the squid Fishman." the announcer introduced. Tani stared at Jude with worry. He had a lot of arms, and his skin shined in the sunlight. Slippery and able to restrain... How does she counter that?

"And on team Straw hat, we have Luffy and Tanisha," the announcer said with less enthusiasm. Tani felt a jolt of shock at her full name being used. She'd almost forgot she had an "isha" at the end...

"Runners... Go!"

Porche took off, leaving the wobbling Luffy in the dust. The rubber man flailed and flopped backwards, landing on his butt. Tani quelled that raising anxiety, they'd find ways for him to move.

"Protectors..."

Tani clicked her heels, positioning herself in a running stance.

"Go!"

The capped girl flew past the start line, her sights set on Luffy. She held out one hand towards the ground.

"Luffy! Hand up," she commanded. Luffy lifted a hand up, Tani clasped her own over his and tugged upwards. Luffy flew up with the force, Tani took his other hand.

Tani was skating backwards, while Luffy followed her lead. His legs wouldn't stop shaking, his grasp on her hands was tight, almost painfully so.

"Eyes up, focus on me," Tani assured. Luffy slowly lifted his head to stare at her bright green eyes. "That's it, you're doing great," she beamed. Luffy felt his chest swell with pride.

Porche had already looped the ring about three times before Luffy had manged one. This method was far too slow. Plus the squid dude had already caught up to them. He looked at them with amusement, like they weren't even worth the effort to knock out.

"There's got to be a way to just... Hold the phone!" Tani felt her brain 'ding' with an idea. That could work. "As long as you cross the line, that counts as a loop." Tani grinned. Luffy seemed to catch what she was implying. His hands moving to grip higher up her arm.

Tani started to twirl, Luffy following in suit, his legs lifted from the ground as she spun faster and faster. Luffy's legs kicked out, he even managed to kick Jude in the face, knocking him over! Tani was bubbling with anticipation. She kept her gaze out for Porche.

The woman in question was speeding towards the crossing line. Tani timed it just right and-

"Now!"

Tani let go and Luffy went flying like a bullet. He crashed into the ground, knocking Porche down with him. Tani cheered loudly, speeding up her pace to catch up with him.

Method 1: tossing Luffy around the ring like a hammer throw? Successful!

Tani caught up with Luffy and assisted him in making it to the line. That's two loops, with the second loop taking half the time of the first. If they kept this up, they could win this?

Or they would have won... If Tani had remembered Jude. Who noticed the pair was starting up their second "Luffy hammer throw" as Tani had dubbed it (Luffy was delighted to see her actual name a move). The squid man used his many arms to catch on the darker girls limbs as she moved to perform the throw part. One arm grabbed her foot and tripped her, another clasped her arm and jerked it backwards, and another covered her eyes. It was too late to stop the throw.

Luffy went flying straight into the dirt, outside the ring.

"Luffy is out of the ring! An instant disqualification. Round one goes to team Foxy." the announcer declared. The crowds cheered.

Tani made her way off the ring, helping Luffy out of the dirt with an apology. Luffy was too busy laughing about it to care.

"That was so cool! You're so smart Tani," he praised. Tani blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.

"It was just a repeat of what we did on the Baratie," she waved off. Luffy's eyes glittered with awe. "We were going way too slow, so we needed to find a way to get you around the ring faster." she explained. Luffy didn't care though.

"Who cares, it was still awesome!" he gushed. Tani snickered, watching as the crew walked towards them with encouragement, and a bowl of really long kiwi fruits.

"The next round had Tani as the runner right?" Nami asked. Taking a bite of the long fruit. Tani nodded in affirmative. "So that means you should focus on winning this time round," Nami suggested. "Since you're actually able to skate, it would be wise for you two to focus on getting Tani the wins," she explained. Luffy wasn't listening though, he had at least seven of the long kiwi fruits in his mouth.

"I'll make sure to win," Tani promised.

...

"Round two runners... Begin!"

Tani zoomed past the large brick wall of a man, his name was Mashikaku or something like that. He didn't move very fast at all. Porche was sitting on his back, twirling a baton in her hands like a cheerleader.

Tani had already managed to make it half way through the course when the call for the protectors was called out.

"Super hypnotic sleepy rose charm!" Porche called out. Waving her baton and wiggling her hips in a hypnotic fashion. Tani ignored her, she was probably trying to seduce Luffy or something.

Tani continued on her path, only to spot Luffy had fallen asleep in the middle of the road... Oh! She'd actually hypnotised him, well sucks to be her! It didn't work on Tani. Tani continued to gain more and more laps over the large brick guy, avoiding his massive swipes or Porche's repeated attempts to hypnotize her. The round was won before it even began.

"Times up! Team Straw hat wins!"

...

"That Chiki guy has been starting at Luffy rather weirdly," Usopp commented, while watching the Cheetah mink stare at Luffy with full blown pupils.

"Maybe he wants the kiwi fruits," Robin stated curiously.

"Maybe..." Usopp nodded. After all, Robin is almost always right.

...

"What a turn of events! It appears that a long kiwi tree has fallen into the ring and distracted Chiki." the announcer commented. The fast runner having jumped out of the ring to mess around with the addictive fruits. Tani stared at Luffy, who she had her hands on the shoulders of. Luffy shrugged at the fortunate turn of events.

"Have I ever mentioned that you have the devils luck?" Tani snickered. Luffy laughed back.

"Round three goes to the Straw hats!"

Just one more win!

And Tani is the runner for this next round... Maybe they can-

Wait! No don't jinx it.

...

So she jinxed it.

"Round four goes to team Foxy!" the crowds went wild.

It's a two for two now.

How could Tanisha have lost? How could she have failed?

One word... Tentacles.

Her opponent had been Jude again, and this round he wasted no time. Grabbing her the moment he caught up to her and tossing her at the protector of the round.

Mashikaku.

Now this guy was a brick wall, very tall and strong. So he caught her with ease and simply held her the entire round. Luffy was unable to extract her from the protectors grasp without risking her safety.

Just to show off, Jude used the walls of the ring to fling himself around the course faster. His tentacles giving him an elastic band effect... He kinda looked like Luffy when doing that.

That bastard showing off, gave her an idea.

...

"Round five! Runners... Begin!"

Luffy wasted no time, throwing his arms to the same spot that Jude had. Calling out a "Gum gum rocket" as he flew up, swung himself around, using the centrifugal force to his advantage, and relaunching himself down the track. Rinse and repeat.

The blade dude who was the Foxy runner, couldn't keep up with Luffy's intense speed. Foxy had a solution to that.

Tani was the slowest runner there, but she didn't really mind that. It made her less of a threat to the Foxy captain. Who was preparing a noro beam for Luffy. Tani was able to pay attention to his movements, keeping calm and ready to jump into action.

"Noro noro-"

"Redirection!" Tani cheered. Tossing her yo-yo at Foxy, the string looped around his wrists. She tugged it as soon as the word "Beam!" left his mouth. She redirected the beam to hit the Foxy runner.

... It bounced off of him?

His arms were bladed... Blades are reflective... So that means that something that's reflective can redirect the beam... Ok! That's important information.

Foxy grabbed her yo-yo strings and pulled her out of the ring.

"And the Straw hat protector is out of the ring!" the announcer called. That didn't mean the game was lost yet. Luffy was still in the lead, Tani just needed to make sure he wasn't hit with a-

"Noro noro-" Foxy charged up, not paying attention to the strings still on his wrists.

"Reflect!" Tani called out. Pulling his wrists to face her, before he fired the beam.

"Beam!" he fired. His hit in the chest and the effect was disorienting to say the least.

The world around her sped up into a blur of colours. She saw Luffy's bright yellow shirt and golden straw hat blur into a stream of colour against the blue sky. She saw her crew mates all jump forward to take hits from the beams if they were fired. Sounds all drowned her ears in mumbled hums. It hurt her head.

Then the world returned to normal, Tani flopped to the ground. She clutched her head as a small headache rummaged her brain.

"Team Straw hat takes the win!"

They won? They won!

Tani jumped to her feet, watching in awe as her whole crew floated in slow motion around Foxy. Except Robin, who held up a small pocket mirror. Foxy was also in slow motion.

"Tani! Tani we won!" Luffy called from behind her. His hands clasped around her shoulders as he launched himself at her. Knocking her back onto the ground, his legs straddling her back as she faced the dirt. The pair was too busy laughing brightly at their win, to notice Robin commenting.

"Young love, how sweet," she said. Followed by a choir of loud thumps as every other straw hat member returned to normal.

"What happened?" Usopp asked with distress, "Did we win?" he said with worry. Luffy cheered merrily.

"We did!" Tani confirmed. Usopp looked like he was about to cry of joy. He jumped at Luffy, who was still on Tani's back. Hugging the rubber captain, and crushing Tani's back. Nami joined in the hug, as did Sanji. Zoro and Robin stood by, watching with amusement.

"Wait!" Tani gasped from the bottom of the pile. "We should wait for Chopper," she mentioned. They all rolled off her and turned to the still slow motion Foxy.

"Oi, two piece head. We're taking Chopper now," Luffy stated bluntly. Turning to face the seat that Chopper was sobbing happily in. He grabbed the reindeer and tucked him under his arm. Walking over to the fully formed crew and holding him in the air.

"Welcome back!" The whole crew cheered (some louder than others) at the now fully sobbing mess of Chopper.

"I-I-I Alwa-a-ays believed i-in you," he cried. Tani took him from Luffy's grasp and hugged him tightly.

"We'd never abandon you," she promised. Chopper hugged her back, his tears staining her black jacket.

Through all the cheering and welcoming back, the crew failed to notice the Foxy captain give them an angry glare, his focus set on the dark skinned girl of the group. She'd thwarted two of the games...

"Hey, Straw hat." Foxy started. Drawing the captains attention from the group celebration. "How about another round?" he asked. Luffy saw how happy winning these games made his crew, and just how much fun it was to win.

"Ok," he grinned. Accepting the pistol to start this all over again.

The crew didn't expect to hear dual gun shots.

They turned in shared horror as they saw the smoke wisp from the open mouth of the pistol in Luffy's hand...

He didn't.

"What the hell did you just do?" Nami asked with a whispering voice. Luffy turned to them with a large grin.

"We all had such a good time winning, so we're doing it aga-"

*slam*

Luffy's head hit the ground, as Nami slammed her fist into his head. Everyone in the crew looked tired and annoyed.

"Luffy," Tani stared. The captain lifted his head to look at them all. All their faces looked at him with emotions he didn't like seeing.

"We had fun didn't we?" Luffy asked. He didn't understand, everyone was so excited to win, so why wouldn't they wanna do it again?

"Not really," Tani spoke. "Sure it's fun to win, but-"

"Then let's win again." Luffy shrugged. Like it was the most simple thing in the world to win again.

...

"Here's the game list," said one of Foxy's crew mates. Handing over the sheet of three games. Nami snatched it and growled at the man. He skittered away with fear.

"Alright, what games do we have this time?" Nami started. "First is hit or deadball," she read the rules. Instantly turning to Tani. "You can't participate in this one, you'll probably die," Nami confirmed. Tani nodded.

"Second is a game of red light/green light." Nami continued, humming at the rules. "Lastly there's the captains fight. Which already has Luffy's name down." she finished. Luffy grinned, but the gloom of his crew couldn't be won over so easily.

"The game of dodge ball is probably going to have high school rules." Tani mumbles to herself. "I can teach everyone that plays that game the basics of dodge ball," she states.

"I think we should get Robin in on this game," Sanji suggests. "She's got her devil fruit. Meaning she could steal the balls from the enemy team right?" Sanji stated sheepishly. Roni nodded.

"Mr Cook is right," she confirms. So her name goes down on that list. "Might I suggest that Mr Doctor also joins this game, he's yet to participate." she suggests. This Chopper's name is written down.

"I'll join that game too, seems fun," Zoro grinned. His name was put down. Leaving only the red light/green light game with spaces.

"Guess that means we're all in that game," Tani sighed. Watching her name get written down.

"Yep," Nami, Usopp and Sanji all sighed. Luffy laughed, grabbed the signed sheets of paper and ran to hand it in.

"Let the second set of Davy back games! Begin!"

The straw hat crew sighed together.

...

It was going to take about an hour for the deadball game to get set up, so Tani decided she would go relax for a bit. Checking out the food stands, she spotted a stand selling sweets. They had cotton candy, rock candy on sticks, jelly cups, these colourful looking dough balls that came in pink, white and green. The sweet that caught her attention the most though...

Was the berry parfait.

Now Tani will admit that nothing will ever top the parfait that Sanji made her. However she will never miss the opportunity to eat more parfait. It was a nostalgic treat, cheap to make. That's why her mother would make it for special occasions.

Tani tossed some coins at the stall owner and collected her prize. Walking around the grounds with a spoon in her mouth, and a grin on her face.

Tani walked past Sanji and Nami, the pair conversing casually about whatever came to their minds. Tani managed to catch a conversation about what colours best suit the red head (the conclusion was blue). It was one of those rare moments when Sanji wasn't being all white knight with the ladies. Tani could see Nami relax and even enjoying the chefs presence...

"Call it a woman's intuition," Tani's brain recalled. "But there's something about Sanji that he's holding back." Nami's voice rang through her head. "I'm hoping that a little push in the right direction might help him find himself," Nami concluded in her head space.

Maybe Nami was acting in that intuition she mentioned. Sanji seemed so calm and happy when speaking to her. He wasn't making grand romantic gestures, or using lovely before Nami's name. It was nice.

Tani walked away. Still chewing on the plastic spoon in her mouth when she spotted Robin, Zoro and Chopper all messing around with a ball they'd found. Trying to throw, and dodge it. Practicing before the game begun. Chopper concentrated, Robin seemed to breeze around the ball, or catch it with ease. Zoro was just going at it, throwing the ball around aggressively. Tani smiled and walked away, not wanting to interrupt their game.

Lastly she found Luffy and Usopp fawning over an invention of Usopp's creation. A larger sling shot for the sniper to use, utilizing the dials he'd collected from Angel island. Tani decided to leave them alone, walking away without noticing the boys giving looks to her retreating form.

...

The dodge ball game was actually more of a team effort than expected. The three in the field needed to be knocked out of the ring in order to earn points for the other team. That was simple enough.

The rest of the crew was to stand on the outside and provide support. They're allowed to knock out the opposite team, but they themselves, can't be knocked out of the game. Makes sense.

So it's basically a game of dodge ball, if you needed to knock out only three members of the other team. Easy enough.

Except the foxy team had 10x the people for their crew!

Now Tani herself wasn't in any danger, well she would be, if she got in the way. Yet the flooding memories of dodge ball games came rushing back. This was gonna be rough.

"Ready..." came that accursed announcer.

Zoro cracked his knuckles.

"Set..."

Chopper shoved a rumble ball into his mouth with a crunch.

"Go!"

Robin spawned some hands, which grabbed the balls and tossed them towards the Straw hat team. Zoro caught one, Chopper caught another, and the third was caught by Luffy. Who stood on the side lines with a jovial expression.

At least someone was having fun.

"Don't aim for the face!" Tani called out. She was much further from the firing range, not wanting to risk getting caught in the cross fire.

"Hit the face? Got it!" Luffy called back. Rolling his arm and firing the ball at mach speed towards one of the unfortunate bastard's in the ring.

"Safe," came the referee from earlier. "The rule book states that the face is a safe zone." he read out. Luffy looked at Tani with a scrunched up face.

"You said hit-"

"I SAID DON'T AIM FOR THE FACE!" Tani snapped.

Tani and Luffy smacked foreheads and argued while the game raged on.

Robin bloomed arms onto one of the men's (Let's call him Jones) shoulders. Her hands gripping around his neck.

"Clutch," she smiled, the hands snapped back, leaving Jones with an exposed stomach and legs. "Mr Reindeer," she summoned.

"On it," The deer shifted to jump point, and using the bounce in his step. Launched himself into the air and piffed the ball into the exposed man's body.

Foxy: 2

Straw hat: 3

"Is that allowed?" one of the Foxy pirates asked nervously. Robin gave them a devious smile, sending chills down their spine.

"There's no rules saying anything about restraining the opponent." the referee commented, reading from a rule book that was far too large for a game of dodge ball!

"But she crossed the line? With her arms." another guy whined (His name will be Davy). He held the ball that hit Jones, tossing it in his hand and catching it.

"The rules don't say-"

"What team are you on?!" Davy called out angrily. The referee panicked and pulled a red card.

"Robin is now out, for crossing the line." the ref called out. The straw hats cried out in outrage. Robin simply shrugged and walked out of the ring to stand on the side lines.

Foxy: 2

Straw hat: 2

Zoro flung his ball at Davy, who dodged it before it smacked into him. The ball continued sailing until it slammed into one of the guys on the outside (He looked like Mashikaku... It was Mashikaku). The ball bounced onto his stomach, similar to a Luffy "Gum gum balloon", and ricocheted back towards Zoro at a speed he wasn't prepared for. So Zoro did what Zoro does best.

He cut the ball.

With one sword drawn, his sliced the flying projectile in half. It sputtered as the air left the leather casing, causing Luffy to laugh at the funny noise. Reminding Tani that they were still playing a game.

"Zoro is out! For damaging the ball, a violation of rule-"

They'd lost another player already?!

Foxy: 2

Straw hat: 1

Zoro grumbled as he left the ring, complaining about how dumb the rules are.

Chopper shifted back into heavy point, his rumble ball having worn off. Robin was working on collecting more balls for Chopper to use. Yet the two men still against the small deer made the little guy feel a rising pressure. He couldn't let his crew down!

"Mr Reindeer," Robin called again, having stolen a ball from the other side, and tossed it. Chopper caught it and thanked her-

"Chopper look out!" Usopp called. Grabbing his slingshot and firing it at the ball that was tossed towards their last hope. Knocking it off path, Tani ran over and caught the ball.

"Out! If a ball is caught before it hits the ground, it's an instant out." the referee called. Tani felt her whole body glow with excitement.

She did that! She caught the ball!

The man that wasn't Davy, walked off the court with a pout.

Foxy: 1

Straw hat: 1

Tani decided to run the ball over to Usopp, his aim being the best on the team. If he was able to hit Davy, then this would be an instant victory.

Luffy grinned at the approaching girl. His hands making grabby motions towards the ball in her hands. She shook her head, motioning for him to move out of the way.

"Oi Usopp!" she shouted. Trying to get his attention, he turned to face her-

Luffy snatched the ball from Tani's hands.

"Wait! Luffy that's for-"

"Gum gum dodge ball!"

Luffy threw the ball as hard as he could towards Davy, but because he called out his attack, Davy jumped out of the way. The ball landed in the hands of...

"THAT CAN'T BE FAIR?!" Tani shrieked, pointing at the armoured mecha suit that Foxy was in.

"There's no rules against it," the referee shrugged. Tani turned to Luffy with a glare.

"Idiot! I had a plan," she snapped. Taking out the pent up annoyance of her captain's idiocy on said captain. Luffy snapped back.

"I'm the captain, and I wanted to throw the ball,"

"Well mister captain! See what you're bright idea got us? That's right! Nothing,"

"Shut up! It's not like you could have done better,"

"You're right, that's why I was handing it over to Usopp,"

"Oi, leave me out of this," Usopp cowered. Using the still miffed Zoro as a meat shield.

"Foxy super special attack," came the annoying voice of Foxy, who was ignored by the two arguing teenagers. His move activated. Whipping out a rocket launcher type weapon, only it was hooked to a ball dispenser.

"You know what your problem is?" Tani finally shouted. "You never listen! You're always charging head first into situations without asking for our thoughts!" she exploded. Luffy balled his fists with upset.

"Tani look out!" came Nami's voice, but it was too late. A ball came speeding towards Tani's head, knocking her flat into the ground. Her head ached, brain rattling around as she groaned. Luffy walked away without offering to help her up.

Oh shit... Maybe she shouldn't have gotten so mad at him. Ugh but it was so annoying! He was always doing stuff like this. Doing things without consulting the crew, or charging forward without thinking ahead. Sure it worked sometimes, but-

"Chopper is out! His leg is past the line. Disqualifying him." the referee announced.

Tani lifted her head to face the ring. Chopper was standing there in guard point, his little hoof being slightly over the line.

Foxy: 1

Straw hats: 0

"Team Foxy wins!"

...

The straw hat crew stood before the platform, the tension was thicker than molasses. Foxy gave them all a once over, but his mind was made up before the game had even started.

"My choice," he started.

Tani closed her eyes tight, she couldn't look. She didn't want to see another of her nakama get taken away.

"From this games victory," Foxy continued. Drawing it out because he's a dick.

"Is,"

"OH JUST PICK ALREADY!" the straw hats all shouted together. Leaving Foxy to panic and just point.

"You,"

Tani slowly opened her eyes.

The finger was pointed...

Directly at her.

Foxy's grin was devious, and from the looks on everyone's faces. They were pissed about his choice.

Tani gaped and sputtered at the choice. Why her of all people? Robin was far more useful, they'd already wanted Chopper so why not pick him again? There's so many more-

"Welcome to the Foxy pirates, Tanisha." Foxy welcomed with that dastardly expression. Tani turned to look at her nakama. Fear in her eyes.

Their determination was just as strong for her as it was for Chopper. Tani nodded.

"You better win me back," she grinned, blinking away the fear from her eyes. Surprisingly it was Luffy that responded.

"Like hell we'd leave you behind," he said with a crack of his knuckles. It made her heart flutter wildly. Their previous argument seemingly forgotten.

"Good luck," Tani wished them.

They were gonna need it.


	31. Chapter 31

Tani grumbled as she was brought the black eye mask, the thing stuck to her face like glue. The stupid striped sock hat was just as dumb, the electric blue and black stripes clashed horribly with her navy blue and yellow get up. She crossed her arms with a grumpy pout, sitting on the chair that Chopper used.

"Rule one of the Foxy pirates," Foxy mocked, she dead pan glared at him. "You can't help your old crew, you swore to follow my crew." he demanded. Sure captain ego bastard.

"So? You want me to treat you the same as I treated Luffy?" Tani smugly grinned. Foxy laughed.

"Exactly-"

"Alright you two piece looking bastard, I think your captain style is shit." she said with all the vulgarity that Sanji packed. She heard Luffy burst into laughter from the side lines.

"Let's just get this game over with," Tani grumbled. Ignoring the solemn expression of Foxy, he was gonna regret picking her while she was in such a bad mood.

"That's no way to talk to your captain!" Foxy shouted at her once he regained his composure. Tani death glared him, he cowered behind Hamburg and Porche.

They decided to get the game started.

...

The location of the game was a fun looking cliff side, it had the same shape as an inflatable giant slide that can be found at carnivals. In short, the spot looked awesome.

Nami, Usopp and Sanji all jogged down the hill to the starting point. Beside them was a small army of Foxy pirates. None of them being anything worthy of note, except maybe Porche, but she's an attention seeker so of course she's in another game.

The game was so simple, a baby could do it. A good old game of red light/green light, how they got the name, if they don't have traffic lights? Dunno.

The only rule is, don't get caught moving when the red light (the subjects eyes) are on you. Your objective is to be the first to touch the subjects shoulder. Super easy game.

Tonjit was the target. He stood at the top of the hill with his hands over his eyes. Hopefully Tonjit being in the Straw hats favour, would be a boon.

"Let the game," came the announcer. Tani crossed her arms and sat in the assigned seat. It wasn't hard to really play up the grump factor, she wanted Foxy to beg for Luffy to take her back. If she's in this world, she's adventuring with her nakama. Not these hack job losers... Was she being too mean? No.

"Begin!"

Nami, Usopp and Sanji all sprinted up the hill. The Foxy army all barrelled beside them, Sanji made quick work of those who got too close to Nami or Usopp.

"Red light,"

Everyone froze on the spot, still as statues. About half of the Foxy team got caught, due to wobbles or falling over. Tonjit was harsh on his observations of the other team. Tani liked that.

"Usopp, head towards the left," Nami instructed. "It's more cliff side climbs, but you're good at that stuff," she grinned. Usopp gave her a nod, and thumbs up. Splitting off from Nami and Sanji, taking the high ground.

"Sanji, towards the right is a lot of steep paths." the red head pointed out. "With your leg power, I'm sure you'll get there in no time." she encouraged. Sanji smirked.

"If it means getting our dearest Tani back, I'd move heaven and earth." he spoke. Nami rolled her eyes playfully.

"What did I say about idolising women?" she teased. Sanji puffed his cheeks.

"I'm just stating my dedication to our stolen nakama," he pouted. Nami playfully bumped his shoulder.

"I know, just kidding you goof," she stated playfully. Sanji had that more natural smile on his face. The kind that's not all funny when he normally talks to the gorgeous navigator. "Focus on saving Tani," she reminded. Pushing him towards the fork that was approaching.

Sanji didn't falter in his movements, sprinting at speeds that would make an Olympic athlete jealous. Nami took the slightly more rocky route, a balanced mix of parlour jumps and pole volt spots. She whipped out her clima-tact with a devious smirk.

Usopp was climbing the rocky walls, utilising the gadgets he'd been working on. From sticky dials, to rope launchers. He managed to scale a wall of rock in half the time that Tani could.

The girl sat in awe as her talented nakama performed inhuman feats of strength, speed and flexibility. She found it unbelievable just how... Toony? Their bodies were, like everyone's bones were made of rubber springs... What was it Oscar had said? Something about this world being in some Manga? Comic book thing.

Tani grabbed the small slip of paper that had their phone number on it. As well as the number from Trip. Did Trip know that this was all based on a fictional story? Or was Oscar from a whole different world than Tani? This was all so confusing-

"Red light!"

Tani threw her head away from the pages to stare at the game. Usopp was mid draw back with his slingshot, Nami was stuck in the air, half way through a jump, and Sanji was stuck with Porche mounting his back. Her massive chest was pressed to his back, and Tani could see the heat building on his cheeks. Come on Sanji, just stay calm-

"Creepy pervert!" Porche shrieked. Only now noticing the compromising position she put herself in. Sanji happened to have a hand around her upper thigh, stopping her from falling off and injuring herself. Porche took her baton and gave a mad swing at the unfortunate chef's head.

Sanji remained still as a board, not letting the girls harsh blows knock him around. That is until she smacked him in the hand. If there was one thing about Sanji that all the straw hats knew. It was that his hands were his treasure, he never threw a punch, always had his hands in his pockets, and treated them with more respect than he ever had to any lady.

So when that collision with his hand struck, he dropped the girl and turned to look at her with murderous intent. Tani couldn't believe her eyes.

Sanji snarled at the girl, holding his reddened hand to his chest. Porche looked like she was about to cry, not even able to get out a word before Sanji berated her. It's the kind of persona that Sanji would take on when telling Luffy off for breaking the fridges hinges (he'd done that twice now) or if Zoro was napping in the way of the kitchen door.

The complete shift in his tone, honestly gave Tani a chill. Like he'd finally snapped, and nobody was safe.

"Sanji and Porche are out!" the announcer stated awkwardly. This seemed to snap Sanji out of his angry fit. He turned to look at Nami and Usopp, who couldn't turn to face him because they were still frozen in place. He turned to face the rest of the crew...

And was surprised to see the pride on their faces. Zoro was especially surprising, he cupped his hands over his mouth.

"Finally grew a back bone, you idiot love cook!" he teased. Sanji felt guilt build up in him, even if the others looked more pleased than he expected them to. He was just so mad at her! He didn't mean to grab her leg like that, or get so upset when she hit his hand. He'd never reacted that way to a woman...

"Stop putting us on a pedestal Sanji," came those words, he'd remembered Nami telling him.

"We're just as strong as you brutish men can be," she had grinned. She was right, he'd always known that there women who can and will kick his ass... It's just...

"Get off the field!" someone yelled. Sanji shook his head, turning to face the still cowering Porche. Holding out his hand in that gentlemanly way, she looked at it with hesitation. Before taking it and being hoisted up with grace.

"Sorry for the rude outburst," he apologised with a bow. Before turning away and running up the hill to meet with his crew. Zoro clapped him on the back, the most casual that the crew had ever seen him with their chef. What the hell was happening?

"Green light!"

Oh right, there was still a game.

Nami kicked her legs forward, her clima-tact springing her forward as she ascended the rocky cliff side. Usopp was falling behind her, not that it was much of an issue, only one of them needed to hit the target. He could play support if things got messy on her end.

The navigator landed at the final stretch, a quick run up the thin path. She couldn't rest easy yet though, a small group of Foxy pirates had caught up-

"Red light!"

They all froze on the spot, Nami was so close. So close to winning. Usopp spotted a man who was far too close to Nami for comfort.

"Green light!"

Usopp pulled back on his slingshot, took aim and fired. His shot easiest perfect... Had it not been for the sneaky bastard that tackled him to the ground. His fire star went sailing towards a rock, and exploded it. The pieces falling closer to Nami than he wanted. She was dodging the falling debris, dust filled her vision, she saw shadows, her hand was held out, her fingers tapping on skin-

"The target has been caught!" came the announcer's voice. The dust settled.

Nami's hand was on the wrong person.

They'd... They'd lost...

The colour in Tani's cheeks drained. She turned to stare at the captain who was manic laughing, Foxy practically rolled on the ground. He'd won! He'd won and now he was destroying this pirate crew.

Tani stated at Luffy with more fear than she wanted to show. His eyes were hardened, his softer emotions sealed away from the world, while an ugly rage seemed to simmer under the skin.

"Guess it's time for me to pick another one of your little crew mates for my own crew," Foxy honked. Beside him was a snickering Hamburg and a less enthusiastic Porche. Tani got up and stood beside the trio, with a couple feet between them. She looked at her real crew mates, they all looked devastated. Even Robin looked somewhat saddened by the loss.

"My choice this time," Foxy spoke with that smug tone. Porche called for "The fluffy raccoon", Hamburg just snickered more. A bunch of names were called out.

"The green guy!"

"The creepy arm lady!"

"Blonde chef!"

"The busty redhead!"

Tani had to close her eyes, she couldn't watch.

"You,"

She peeked from her closed eyes, and stared at the pointed finger.

It was Robin.

She took a step forward without a fuss, accepting the mask and sock hat with stride. Making her way towards Tani, the smaller girl gave the woman a tight hug. Because...

It was either Tani goes back... Or she stays behind.

Tani hated both of those options. She held onto Robins hand, the woman giving the younger's hand a small squeeze. Comforting and motherly.

"On to the next-"

"HOLD IT!"

The world froze, like a wave of power managed to stop everyone. Luffy stood there with one foot forward, his fists balled.

"I'm not leaving any of my crew behind," Luffy sneered. Zoro and Nami backed him up. "You can't take Tani or Robin away from me," he said with this possessive manner. Robin let herself smile, Tani just watched with awe.

"Like hell we'd let some bozo like you steal such special ladies," Nami said with a hand on her hip. Zoro chuckled beside her.

"Can't have the captain and cook whining." Zoro said with an aura of threat. Usopp and Sanji backed up those three, Chopper ran in front of Luffy and crossed his little arms. The whole crew looked about ready to commit murder. Tani felt her heart beat speed up.

"And what are you proposing?" Foxy said with a wobble in his voice, clearly intimidated. Luffy smirked.

"Double or something," he remarked. Nami whispered into his ear. "Double or nothing," he corrected. "If we win, we get both our nakama back. If we lose, you get two of my crew." Luffy offered. The greedy gleam in Foxy's eye sparkled.

"Hmm, how about something better." he challenged, getting up in Luffy's space, "All or nothing," he presented. Luffy kept his stoic look, turning to face the crew.

"All or nothing huh?" Zoro smirked. "I like those stakes." he said casually. Usopp agreed.

"Nobody gets left behind," he grinned, rubbing under his nose.

"Nobody gets left behind," Luffy repeated. Turning back to Foxy, Tani's heart beat pounded in her ears.

He was risking everything, his captainship, his crew, his freedom... All for her and Robin.

God can he stop giving her more reasons to wanna marry him! Well maybe not marry, but whatever the closest thing to that is. Dating? Shit why was she so inept at this kind of stuff.

Robin laughed sweetly beside Tani, that special laugh that Tani's now calling "Robin's happy laugh".

"How interesting," the black haired woman commented. Tani couldn't help but laugh herself.

"Foxy is dead meat now," she declared. Robin couldn't agree more.

...

It was an hour or so before the next game. A bi fight between the two captains. Tani wanted to find Luffy before he needed to face the trickster bastard.

It wasn't hard, especially with Robins help. Tani bolted towards the straw hat boy, who was standing beside Usopp. Tani leaped at Luffy, with her arms held out.

"Luffy!" she cried, elongating every syllable of his name. Tani slammed into his back, clutching her limbs around his torso, smothering her face into his back. Usopp stood back and laughed.

"Tani!" Luffy beamed back. Usopp clapped his hands together, grabbing their attention.

"Alright Prince Charming, we have a fight to prepare you for," Usopp said, putting on an accent that sounded like a gangster Italian. Tani was getting Rocky vibes... That meant it was time to-

"I'm pulling out the big guns," Tani shouted, pulling her Walkman out and pulling the headphones out (gently, she's not a neanderthal). Clicking the fast forward button until she finally got the right song.

"Eye of the tiger baby!" she cheered. Already feeling the hype from the song. Usopp and Luffy looked at each other like they were hearing the coolest sound to ever exist.

"Now! Let's get you ready for this fight. Because Foxy is going to totally cheat," Tani said with a slight accent, one to match Usopp's but it ended up sounding more like a Brooklyn accent.

"Why do I need training? I'm just gonna punch him in his stupid split head," Luffy questioned. Tani and Usopp shook their heads.

"He's a trickster, using cheats and hacks to win." Usopp explained.

"Plus he's got that slow motion laser beam, if you're slowed down. Boom! Game over," Tani added. "I did learn some flaws in his ability though," Tani mentioned with a nefarious smirk.

"What? When?" Usopp questioned, keeping the conversation going. Luffy looked like he was about to zone out, so the back and forth kept him on his toes.

"Mirrors," Tani answered. "Anything reflective works. There was this fish dude with blade arms, and he bounced the beam back." Tani explained her observations. Luffy perked up at this.

"But I'm not a mirror man, I'm a rubber man." he added. Tani and Usopp nodded in unison, their chins in their hands.

"That would be a problem,"

"It would indeed,"

"Nami and Sanji have mirrors, and we have a mirror in the girls room." Tani mentioned. Usopp had a light bulb moment.

"We can make some reflective covers for Luffy during the fight with those-"

"But that's cheating," Luffy said with a pout. Tani casually flopped her arm over his shoulders. Putting on her Brooklyn accent.

"Now Luffy... If you haven't noticed. Foxy is a cheating scoundrel, and when you're a cheating scoundrel, you deserve to have your ass beat." she said. Luffy narrowed his brows, his mouth squished into a frown.

"Oh right, but I don't want Nami or Sanji to get mad at me for breaking their stuff," he pouted. "They hit me really hard, and then I owe Nami lots of money and Sanji doesn't make me meat." Luffy said sadly. Usopp clicked his fingers.

"There might be reflective surfaces on the ship," he theorised. Tani hummed.

"Well what if he doesn't have mirrors? How are we going to take him out?" Tani asked. Luffy and Usopp looked at each other, then back at her.

"Punch him," they said at the same time. Tani face palmed.

"We're doomed." she laughed, who was she kidding. It's Luffy, he's so lucky that she's surprised at herself for even doubting him. "Just keep that mirrors weakness in mind. Look for anything reflective." she reminded. Luffy nodded.

"How about we get to training?" Usopp requested.

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered. Tani and Usopp grinned. This would end just fine.

...

"Tani," Luffy whined. The girl was standing outside the dressing room that they'd found on their way to the meeting grounds. Usopp was in there with him, helping him find the right outfit to really get into the 'fighting spirit'. "Tani come on, take a look." Luffy continued to whine.

The girl refused to walk into the room, fearing she'd expose her virgin eyes to more skin than she's willing to look at. She may have a crush on him, but she'd probably explode with embarrassment, if she saw things she wasn't supposed to.

"Only if you have pants on," she replied. Luffy pulled the dressing room sheet out of the way, exposing his bare chest, sports shorts (she'd never seen him wearing anything but jorts) and bandage wrapped fists and feet. There were elbow guards too, but nothing on his knees.

All in all, he looked great in his Luffy way. Usopp popped into view, walking over with body paint and some brushes.

"Alright Luffy, sit down. We have some paint to apply." Usopp said with his Italian accent. Tani bounced on the spot.

"Can I draw something too?" she asked. Luffy nodded.

"Yeah! Let her draw something," Luffy begged. Usopp sighed and tossed her a brush.

"Only if you paint something really cool," he requested. "Can't have you cramping my style," he joked. Tani snickered and sat down by Luffy's arm. A pot of blue paint beside her, Usopp said it was to contrast with the red sports shorts. It was always interesting to see Usopp go full on artist mode.

Tani decided she wanted to paint a monkey head, after all! It was in his name. Maybe she should give it a straw hat too.

Luffy watched as his nakama painted stuff all over him, Tani worked on one arm while Usopp focused on his chest and stomach. They looked so cool! Usopp looked up at Tani's monkey drawing.

"A monkey? Yeah I can see that," he commented. Tani laughed.

"It's very Luffy, Mr monkey man." she grinned. Usopp agreed. Turning back to finish the flaming skull on Luffy's front side.

"I wanna paint something," Luffy pouted. His friends looked like they were having so much fun. He wanted to have fun too.

"When we're done, I'll let you paint something on me." Tani promised. Luffy cheered, moving his arms up in happiness.

"LUFFY STOP MOVING!"

"Oh, my bad."

...

Tani and Usopp walked out of the dressing room, completely covered in paint. Tani looked fondly at the messy bunny rabbit with roller skates (it didn't look like that, but that's what Luffy said it was) painted up her arm.

"We've created a beast," Tani said with pride. Slinging an arm over Usopp's shoulder. The sniper grabbed around her waist, the pair walked casually over to the stands. The battle was to take place on the Foxy ship. The pair parted ways, with a slap to the back and a hopeful look on their faces.

"See you on the flip side," Tani bid farewell. Usopp nodded. Holding his arm in the air, Tani did the same. Replicating the final stance they had when saying goodbye to Vivi... Wonder how she's doing.

Tani sat down beside Robin, the pair was told not to sit with the Straw hats, but they could see the rest of the crew sitting a few rows ahead. On either side of the stands were large screens, kinda like those large TV screens used for kiss cams at baseball games.

"What are those for?" Tani asked, pointing at the screens. Robin was quick to explain.

"They're a live feed, so we can better see what's happening on deck." oh so they are like the baseball screens. "I saw them put some inside the ship, maybe they plan on taking it indoors... Wonder what horrifying traps lay beneath the ships decking," and there's that morbid Robin again.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" came that familiar commentator voice. Tani grabbed Robin's arm and started to vibrate with excitement.

"Introducing the wonderful, amazing, oh so talented and dare I say handsome! Boxing champion for the last decade! Foxy!" the voice hyped. The crowd went wild, whooping and cheering for the shirtless pear with a waluigi nose and split hair. His boxing gloves were a pitch black, with spikes donning the knuckles...

"And our guest captain, the terror from East Blue, with a bounty of 100,000 berri and a body made of rubber. Straw hat Luffy!" came the intro for the beloved captain. Tani couldn't help but jump from her seat and cheer wildly for him, even if she got weird stares from the Foxy crew. The other straw hats were just as enthusiastic, encouraging their captain as he walked into the spotlight-

"Yes!" Tani laughed, noticing the wig that Luffy had chosen... Well the wig she'd chosen, that he decided to wear. He walked out with a wig that looked akin to that of sailor moon. Tani had seen the cartoon sometimes when watching TV, the main character was so cool and kicked total ass! So she just had to get him to wear it.

So seeing him actually wearing it (and he looked fabulous!) made her laugh with happiness. Plus Usopp went along and styled the longer strands into puffy afro-styled buns. He stated that "Afro's are a source of strength, so two of them means double the power," and Tani couldn't agree more. The hair still had the hair clips that sailor moon uses, and Tani had tested that they were reflective, so that's a bonus!

He looked so cool. Tani couldn't look away.

"I'm guessing that was your handy work Miss Bell," Robin chimed. Tani nodded and pointed to Usopp.

"He was the genius behind most of the look, I just picked the hair and painted a monkey on his arm." Tani praised. Robin remained chipper with her expression, it was so easy to smile around this crew.

"Ready?" announcer man called. Luffy and Foxy lifted their fists and widened their stances. The crowd held their breath in anticipation.

"Fight!"

The combatants circled one another, not taking a strike-

"noro beam," Foxy called out, sending a laser towards Luffy. The rubber man jumped out the way just in time for the beam to miss the mark. Luffy rolled his shoulder and prepared a 'Pistol', but it was too slow. Foxy was able to prepare a second beam much faster than Luffy could with his own attack.

Luffy found himself frozen on the spot. Watching as Foxy dealt blow after blow against his slowly falling body. The strikes bursting with power and pain, stupid spike things. When the world returned to speed, Luffy was launched into the deck at mach speed. Bouncing like a basketball off the polished decking and ricocheting off the mast.

Tani winced, feeling phantom pains in her stomach. Luffy was lost likely stronger than Foxy, all he needed was a single shot in the right spot to knock him out of the ring. Foxy had speed on his side. Luffy was fast, but that beam was faster... If only Luffy wasn't too prideful to take on Tani's advice.

Luffy was hit with the beam and gattling-ed into the deck about three more times before the decking finally broke from the strain. Luffy flying into a dark room, which he took advantage off. Foxy jumped in after him, flipping the light switch on with a clap. The den den mushi's cameras started up, projecting onto the screens for the crews to see.

The room was a weapons room, filled with swords, knives, spears, guns, a whole ass mecha suit! Luffy was marvelling at the awesome sight, because what's a sense of urgency? when you can praise the enemies cool stuff.

Foxy's mocking laugh echoed through the room, seemingly reminding Luffy that yes, he was still in a fight that held the fate of his crew mates hostage. He snapped out of it, taking on that defensive position. He just needed-

"BEAM!"

Luffy dived out of the way, watching as the beam bounced around the room. Reflecting off of all the shiny weapons. Right! Mirror weakness, just like Tani said. Luffy threw his arm out to grab a shiny looking shield, it looked like a mirror, so it most certainly would work.

Unfortunately, while stretching back his arm. Foxy spotted the elongated limb and-

"Beam!"

Luffy's arm was caught in slow motion, honestly it was really starting to get annoying and pissing him off. Foxy followed the arm back to Luffy, and started to launch a barrage of punches to the young man's torso (after having beamed him of course).

Luffy's arm was the first thing to be released from the stun lock, added to the already speedy recoil that bad boy has. Let's just say Foxy got a gut full of pain, the surprise of the attack launched him into a wall. Which he broke through with little effort.

Luffy's body returned to normal, he'd looped the shield through his arm. Ready for any more beams... But he couldn't find Foxy. Oh wait there's a hole over there, must be a mystery door.

Tani held onto Robin with her sweaty hands, not that Robin would complain. The nervous girl wouldn't stop squirming with every beam shot, punch thrown, and flooring broken. She cheered wildly when Luffy succeeded, and sighed with defeat whenever Foxy did the same. It was amusing to see such a colourful array of expressions on someone. A gift that Robin had lost many years ago...

"Look, look he's entering the next room," Tani pointed out, it was as obvious as the sky was blue. Yet Robin couldn't help but indulge in her hype, it was almost contagious.

Luffy flew through the door, his shield held up to his chest. The room was completely dark, just like last time. Maybe this room would have cool weapons too!

*Click*

The room illuminated, and Luffy found himself in a narrow hall way. The walls were all wooden, except for one. That wall had a bunch of punching gloves attached to it, and wheels. Awesome!

"Mwahehe, Straw hat! Time to meet your end!" Foxy's voice boomed from behind the wall. Luffy turned around to find the punching wall was slowly creeping towards him, each gloved fist moving back and forth.

Foxy sat atop the wall, pulling leavers and cranks which moved the wall forward. Luffy tossed his arms up, going for a 'rocket', only for his arms to get knocked off or away. The fists moved too fast and all over the place for him to actually grab anything.

So he couldn't just launch himself up there, not with the raging fists that came flying from the wall. The roof was still blacked out so he wasn't sure how tall or smooth it was.

Basically he was just gonna wing this, he had his shield, his rubber body and a whole lot of annoyance fueled determination. He had to do something...

"Come on," Tani begged towards the screen, Luffy was being cornered. Foxy prepared another beam, and Tani couldn't look away. Luffy's backside was to the camera, she didn't know what he was thinking.

"Mr Captain will be just fine." Robin assured, Tani could only hope.

From her spot, Tani could see Nami and Sanji holding onto each other with worry, Usopp was shouting profanity at the ship, Chopper was in awe at the wall of fists, and Zoro was just sitting there being Zoro.

"Hey what's he doing?" came a randoms voice. Pointing at Luffy, who was slinking his arm up and down, one hand holding the elbow in place. Once it had stretched out enough, he spun the limb in circles. Tani huffed a laugh, it kinda looked like her-

"Gum gum yo-yo!" Luffy called out, tossing the arm up. The limb moved about as fast as a pistol or rocket, without needing the back space for him to launch the limbs... And he named it after Tani's weapon of choice.

Robin looked at Tani's love struck face, amused at the sight. She gives them a couple arcs, a minimum of three. The dense, and emotionally illiterate duo needed that much time.

The yo-yo move managed to throw Foxy off guard. The extra spring Luffy got for stretching it out, helped him bypass the punching wall. Luffy physics working their magic.

Luffy upper cut Foxy off the machine, launching him through the roof. The pear shaped man made a large enough hole for Luffy to climb through, once the wall stopped moving. Sunlight and blue skies greeting his features.

Luffy jumped out of the hole, staring at the barely recovered Foxy. Who shouted for his noro beam, lucky Luffy came prepared. The rubber man. threw his shield up, catching the beams purple rays and rebounding it back to the dastardly captain. Foxy had no time to react before he was caught in his own downfall.

"Deflect!" Luffy grinned, his victory had been sealed. Foxy's face was frozen in complete terror.

Luffy's feet slapped across the ground, the boy jumping forward and sending an assault into the opponent. The straw hats cheered wildly, their encouragement gave him that extra boost of energy he needed, that final burst of pure.

*Punch*

Unfiltered

*Whack*

Power!

Luffy sent a massive final blow to the man. Just as his beams effects wore off.

And he went flying.

Like a petal to the wind... Only not as pretty or majestic. He skipped over the water with a stone's bounce. Skipping with every smack of the water. Before sinking under the deep blue waves.

"Someone should probably save him, else he succumb to a watery grave." Robin reminded. A beat of silence washed over the crew, before everyone started panicking.

"FOXY CAPTAIN!" They all shouted in unison. Rushing for the shore to save the man.

Tani faced the spot her captain was standing, his body paint was smudged, his afro buns a wild mess of hair that stuck out of the sculpted shape Usopp had given it. Sweat shined skin, grimy face. Smile as bright as the sun.

"You did it Luffy!" Tani couldn't help but scream at him, her face breaking out into a face splitting grin. "Eye of the tiger! Woo-hoo!" she beamed.

Luffy lifted his arm, the one she painted on. Rising it in victory.

...

Foxy stood before the straw hat crew, soaking wet and grumbling about his loss. Porche and Hamburg beside him with towels and a hair dryer.

"So Straw hat," the two piece head bemoaned. "You've won... Now take your pick of my crew," he looked grumpy. Luffy snickered.

"Welcome back Tani and Robin," he greeted. Tani was already ripping the stupid hat and mask off her race, racing forward and jumping at Luffy with her arms out.

"Great to be back!" the excited girl replied, smooshing her face into his still rather sweaty cheeks. She'd have a shower after this so that wasn't much of an issue.

"That's two, you still have many more to choose," Foxy whined. Luffy looked back at his own crew, they shrugged. Honestly not really wanting any of these guys on their crew. They all seemed like they would be more than willing to abandon ship when push comes to shove. Luffy pointed at their flag.

"I'll take that," he claimed. The Jolly Rogered flag was handed to the victorious captain. Who handed it to Zoro, the man already folding it neatly. "And that's it." Luffy said with a shrug. Foxy looked perplexed, Luffy and won, why wouldn't he claim what was his?

"But-"

"I don't like you, or your crew. So go away," Luffy said bluntly. The whole other crew fell to the ground with anguish. How cruel of him to say such a thing!

"Anyway, let's go. I'm bored, and hungry-" Luffy turned to his crew. Sanji was already planning for a lunch. "OH! Foxy," Luffy turned back to the despairing captain. "I want a your food, every victory needs a feast," he demanded shamelessly.

The foxy crew spent the next half an hour handing over their food to the gluttonous Straw hat Luffy.

"Yosh! Time for a feast!"

"Aye aye captain,"

...

The Foxy pirates fled from the island, leaving the Straw hats, Tonjit and Shelly, to feast away. Sharing stories and dreams.

"I'm certain my family and friends are all half way across the island by now," Tonjit thought aloud. A solemn look on his face, "It'll take me at least 5 years to meet up with them," he counted. Shelly gave a soft whine, rubbing her muzzle on the man's face.

"Can't we just drop you off? If they're on the island, we can sail you over." Tani suggested. Tonjit shook his head.

"You folks have already done enough for me, thank you for your help," he smiled. Tani gave a soft smile, turning away from the conversation in search of a bell... Oh right, she left those in a box back on the ship.

Tani got up off the grass, and skipped towards the ship happily. She looked over the sea with a wishful thought. Imagine if she had to share this view with the likes of Foxy? Or another crew... Ugh she could hardly stand to think of such a fate... Hold on?

Is that a guy riding a bike? On the ocean?

The girl rubbed her eyes and yeah. That's a whole ass guy, riding his bike on the ocean like it was a concrete path. Tani decided to just mind her business and tell the others when she came back with a bell or two. While she's at it, might as well take a couple of photos. Hopefully the next island has a IDCS.

Tani emerged from the women's cabin to find the crew was still happily eating away. She lifted her camera and snapped a photo. How many more did she have on the roll? Robin probably took a few photos herself on Skypiea.

The girl jogged back to the group, handing the bells to Tonjit. Explaining their purpose, the man felt honoured to have one. The second one was put around Shelly's neck, attached to her saddle.

"Hey, is that guy riding a bike on the ocean?" Luffy pointed. Tani turned around, as did many of the others. A mix of caution, awe and confusion flurried over their faces...

That was the first time anyone had ever heard Robin let out a scream. It wasn't loud, if anything it was more like a gasp with extra volume. Her large blue eyes shrank back in terror at the man who was riding on the ocean. His bike drawing closer and closer. The crew took on a defensive position around the terrified woman.

The biking man finally made it to the island, he didn't look threatening (not to underestimate him) but he gave off a vibe that was nonchalant and disinterested. His bike was leaned against one of the long trees, he turned and approached the crew casually.

"A-Aokiji," Robin chocked out. Her eyes still shaking as rapidly as her body.

"Who?" Sanji asked. The man came closer. Letting out a large yawn as he approached, eye bags very present on his face.

"Admiral Aokiji," Robin whimpered. The air grew tense, as the Straw hats share looks. Tani was out of the loop.

"Nico Robin," came a tired voice, the crew was so busy sharing looks that they failed to notice the very dangerous man that had just made it into their space. The straw hats death glared the man. "Calm down, I'm not here for you lot," he sighed. "I was just on a bike ride, spotted your ship. Wanted to see what you've been up to, Miss Nico Robin," he said simply. The tension seemed to ease up.

Tonjit looked at the man awkwardly. That's when Luffy had the bright idea to open his mouth.

"Hey, weird bike guy," Luffy drew Aokiji's attention to himself. The man gave him a lazy tilt of the head, "Can you help stilts Gramps? He wants to see his family again but we can't help him." Luffy requested. Aokiji blinked at the young captain, then turned to Tonjit.

"Sure, why not," Aokiji shrugged. "Where are they?" he questioned. Tonjit pointed in a direction. "Come on," he tiredly waved over. Taking long strides with his massive legs (Tani had only just noticed that this guy was like 8ft tall?!) Luffy waved for the crew to follow. Robin was frozen on the spot in fear, so Luffy grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'll protect you Robin," he promised. She swallowed the lump in her throat, she knew he wasn't-

The crew was already following behind the mysterious man. Robin couldn't slow her heart, her mind flashing brilliant orange and reds, his icy smile, her little boat... The tears...

"Derashishi~" she unconsciously whispered to herself.

Robin felt her other hand being held, she turned her gaze to a concerned looking Tani. Robin's heart ached, for the girl who was so fragile and weak. The older woman didn't want to lose any of this crew, she'd found their childish attitude and welcoming familial love to be so... Fulfilling.

The walking stopped, Aokiji stood in front of the ocean that filled the donut like islands centre. He lifted one hand, his whole arm engulfed into an icy case.

"Ice Age," he said without any strain. Slapping his hand down into the sea...

And completely freezing it.

The whole ocean became an icy waste land, like those pictures of Antarctica. A chilly breeze hitting Tani on her exposed skin. This guy was dangerous, no wonder Robin was so panicked. Luffy was in awe.

"The ice will melt as some point, probably 3 days. So get to your family before then," the ice man informed Tonjit. The older man gave Aokiji a warm smile and mounted Shelly.

"Thanks for the help Straw hats, and you too Ice man," Tonjit thanked, riding Shelly off into the distance. Luffy turned back to the admiral.

"Thanks for the help, weird bike guy." Luffy said happily. Only to quickly let up, something in his expression shifted. "Anyway, we're gonna get go-"

"I can't let you leave Straw hat Luffy," Aokiji said with that same stoic tone. Luffy narrowed his gaze. "Your crew is far too dangerous. Every single one of you is a threat if left unchecked." he says with no emotion. He pointed straight to Robin, "Robin being the biggest threat here," he says cryptically. All eyes turned to the woman in question, who was holding her breath in fear.

"Leave Robin alone," Sanji snarled. Standing between the icy man and the terrified woman.

"Every organisation she's ever been a part of has been destroyed. She's the sole survivor of every. Single. One," he says. Robin shrinks in on herself. The crew doesn't let up.

"So what? Robin is nakama now, I'm not letting her go anytime soon." Luffy declared. Robin felt herself soften. "I don't care about the past," Luffy steeled himself.

"She's betrayed everyone who's ever let her into their world. It's the only way she's survived this long." he states. The woman tenses back up. Holding herself tighter. "A bounty of 79,000 berri at the age of 8. She's a dangerous threat to the world government." he says with a intent.

"The government gave an 8 year old a bounty?" Tani commented. Disgust on her face, "That's messed up. What kind of danger is an 8 year old?!" she almost shouted at the man. He turned to look at her. A chill running up her spine, just from his look.

"Treinta Flores!" Robin summoned, her voice shaking as she encased the ice man in a flurry of arms. He looked bored. "Why are you doing this?" she almost sounds hysterical.

"I would have thought, you'd be smarter than this." he says without batting an eye.

"Clutch!"

Aokiji shattered, his body splintering into millions of icy pieces.

"OH NO HES DEAD!" Chopper broke out into a panic. Running around with his hooves in the air. Usopp was watching as the pieces of ice started to move back together.

"We need to run, right now!" Usopp pleaded, but the panicking of Chopper, the fear on Robins face, and the defensive positions of the rest of the crew. Left Usopp ignored while the pieces of Aokiji reformed.

Half way rebuilt, an icy hand grasped at blades of grass. Tearing them from the ground and tossing them up into the air. A volt of ice encased the grass, taking the form of a sword. Once fully formed, Aokiji took a strike at Robin-

Zoro whipped out a katana faster than light, blocking the blow with a daredevil glimmer in his eyes. This was a challenge, and he was always up for one of those.

Sanji jumped forward, kicking at the admirals wrist in an attempt to disarm him. Only for the man to drop the sword and grab Sanji's leg and Zoro's arm.

Meanwhile, Luffy launched a gum gum bullet at the admirals stomach, however just like Smoker or Crocodile. His arm was encased in the frosty torso of Aokiji.

"Freeze," he almost yawned. Sending a freezing ice case up each clasped limb. The boys hissed with pain, dropping like flies.

"He just took out our strongest fighters," Nami said with creeping fear. The admiral barely acknowledged her, instead heading straight for Robin.

"You've found some good friends... But you're still that little girl from Ohara," he sighs. Robin is on the brink of tears, her breathing sped up to the point of hyperventilation.

"N-no! No I've chan-" she tried to cry. Her whole body freezing before she had the chance to utter another syllable. She... Robin couldn't be... No...

"Robin!" Tani bursts into tears, the woman was an ice block. No colour breaking through the icy casing that trapped her crying form. Aokiji lifted his fist.

"She'll live if you can thaw her out properly... But she's very brittle." he turns to Tani. "Fragile." he directs at her... Oh nope! No no hell no!

Tani keeps her eyes on him. Her heart beating so fast that her ribs could break. What the hell does this man know about her?

He turned back to Robin, his fist ready to smash her to pieces. Luffy managed to break through the pain up his arm, and grab the frozen Robin before she could be smashed into hundreds of pieces. Aokiji looked on with boredom.

He moved to slam his foot down on the floored Luffy. Only for Usopp to save the day and grab Robin, leaving Luffy with time to roll out of the way. The patch of ice left behind... Tani couldn't stand it.

"Get her out if here! Now!" Luffy commanded. Usopp nodded, turning around and running with the very precious cargo. Nami grabbed the foot end of Robin, while Chopper followed. Already sputtering on what they'd need to do to restore her without issue. Tani was frozen on the spot... Not literally but god did it feel like it.

"Oh... Well that's unfortunate," Aokiji shrugged. Turning back to Luffy. "Saving a woman like Robin isn't worth it." he comments offhandedly. Tani growls.

"You're not the one that gets to decide that." Tani spits. He looks back at her.

"You're not so different from her you know..." he states. What? "Your kind are just as dangerous. But you wouldn't know that would you? Tanisha Lowe," how...

How does he know her last name?

She's never told anyone that, at least that she can remember. It's never come up in conversation. How?

"Vice admiral DeLorean has been looking for your people," he warns. "Watch your back," he said. However that warning wasn't what she was paying attention to.

"Is that his real last name? Or did he really name himself after that one car from 'Back to the future'." Tani wanted to laugh. She really did, but now wasn't really the time. Not when her life was on the line.

"Zoro, Sanji, Tani." Luffy lists. Side eyeing them. "Get out of here. I wanna kick this guy's ass." Luffy glares. Tani goes to protest, doing that would be like suicide! But Zoro nods, and starts walking away. Sanji follows behind. Leaving Tani standing there.

"Luffy-"

"Go! Right now," he shouted at her. Leaving the girl conflicted. She narrows her eyes and shouts back.

"If you die, I'll kill you!" she promises. Turning around and running. Luffy's laughter echoed back.

...

Robin was slowly thawed from her icy prison. Completely soaked in warm bath water. Chopper and Nami looked at her with teary eyes full of the most pure form of relief.

"Robin," Nami cried, jumping into a hug. Robin reacted on instinct, completely freezing at the affection. "We were so worried, Luffy thawed out much faster than you did and-and-and we thought you died," the red head wallowed. Chopper was just as distressed.

"Nami be careful! Her muscles are in a very vulnerable state right now-"

"Shh! I'm trying to hug Robin," Nami snapped playfully. Chopper pouted.

"How's-" came Tani's voice. Spotting the now awoken Robin. "You're awake," the dark skinned girl sighed with relief. "Welcome back," she smiled.

"What happened? Is everyone alright?" Robin asked in a dazed state. Everything was moving so fast. Tani nodded.

"Yeah, Aokiji kinda just left us alone after fighting Luffy. Oh and Luffy almost died, but Zoro ran back and collected his frozen form." Tani explained quickly. "Everyone's just fine. We all got away safe," Tani assured.

Robin slowly got out of the bath, wobbling on her legs like a new born foal. She walked onto the deck and found Luffy jumping around with chop stick up his nose. Carefree, as if nothing bad had happened.

"Derashishishi~" she involuntarily started laughing, her emotional state was volatile, but the relief she felt. She couldn't contain it.

She didn't want to lose this... Family?

Yes. That's what this was.

"Oi! Robin's awake!" Luffy cheered.

A family.


	32. Chapter 32

"Come on? You can't even pick up one of these?" Zoro teased, lifting a weight that was larger than him and Tani combined. Tani deadpanned at him.

"Maybe if you had bones made of glass, you could make comments like that you asshole," she snickered. Opting to lift the 2kg dumbbells.

Ever since the encounter with Aokiji, Tani's been more dedicated to her training with Zoro. It's been brutal, and the mocking is a pain, but he seems to appreciate the work she puts in.

"Oi Oi, want some muscle for your weights?" Sanji's voice mocked. Walking up the stairs to the back of the ship, a tray of rice balls and two glasses of juice balanced perfectly.

"Look Sanji," Tani grinned, holding up her arm and flexing the muscle. She'd gained a little since starting her training with Zoro, all the way back in East Blue. The flabby chub she used to have had hardened a bit. An improvement none the less. "Pretty cool right?" she vibrated with excitement. Sanji nodded.

"That's quite the improvement, soon you won't be soft to touch anymore." he pouted, though it held hints of playfulness. Zoro scoffed.

"Who needs soft? It's the Grandline." the swordsman said with the roll of the eyes. Snatching the juice glass from the tray and chugging the whole thing. Sanji was not impressed.

Tani grabbed the small towel she'd left next to her bag, wiping the sweat from her forehead and under arms. She turned to Sanji and grabbed the remaining juice, taking a sip and sighing happily.

"How do you do it? Teach me your secrets, oh prince of the kitchen," Tani said dramatically, hand to her head and swaying back in a swoon. Sanji bowed with just as much drama.

"Kingdom secrets my darling queen of the mac and cheese," he said with gusto. Zoro snorted, grabbing one of the rice balls from the plate.

"You two look like such morons," Zoro mocked. Sanji and Tani looked at the swordsman with amusement.

"Alright... Four sword style," Tani poked her tongue out. Zoro tensed, sending her a glare. Sanji noted that for later use.

"King of getting lost," Sanji snickered. Tani laughed, slapping her knee. Oh right, Sanji brought rice balls.

What a weird choice for an afternoon snack? But she wouldn't complain, she'd already come to terms with the different culture... Maybe she could convince him to make jelly filled donuts someday.

"Woah! Nami! Nami follow that frog," Luffy's voice called from the fishing spot. What frog?

Tani made her way towards Luffy, Usopp and Chopper. Spotting the giant frog that was-

"Is that frog swimming with a freestyle stroke?" Tani pondered. What a strange frog, normally they do that leggy moving one that jumps them forward. This frog was slicing through the water in a very human style of swimming.

"I wanna eat it," Luffy said with drool building up in it mouth. "Nami, follow it," Luffy commanded. The navigator rolled her eyes but did as she was asked. Changing the ships course to follow the freestyle frog.

"Hey... What're these black lines? Along the surface of the water," Usopp questioned, pointing down at the parallel lines that are trailing alongside Merry. They looked familiar to Tani.

"Huh... They kinda look like train tracks," Tani hummed. Staring at the track like shapes. Luffy perked up.

"What's a train?" the captain asked, pushing himself next to Tani to look at the tracks. Zoro stood close by, just in case the rubber idiot dropped over board.

"They're these large cart like things, that are used to transport people and things across really look distances at fast speeds." Tani explained, using her hands to motion a train moving. "They're kinda like a bus, but trains are stuck to these tracks." she pointed at the ocean tracks. "Mum and I would ride the train sometimes to-" Tani cut herself off when her ears picked up a sound...

A whistle

A very high pitch and prolonged whistle

Only now did Tani notice the boom-gates that Merry sat between.

"Get off the tracks," Tani said bluntly. The crew gave her a confused look. She turned to face them, "Get Merry off the tracks!" she implored.

"But the frog-"

"These are train tracks! I can hear the whistle. That's a train whistle," Tani could feel the panic building up. Usopp pulled down his goggles and gasped.

"Does a train have-"

"I KNOW ITS A TRAIN! WE WILL ALL DIE IF WE DONT GET OFF THE TRACKS!" Tani shrieked. Nami was quick to get the ship off the tracks. Luffy was staring at the giant frog, who had made it's way onto the track. Standing in the middle of the track with his hands held up. A determined look on his face.

"Mr frog! Get off the tracks," Tani called out, only she was ignored. The roaring of the trains wheels on the tracks. A maroon-red train came racing down the tracks, white smoke puffing from the chimney. Usopp let out an awe filled gasp at the sight. The frog was still on the track, was he trying to-

*Slam*

The frog went flying into the air, the collision too much for him. The train roared on, giving a loud whistle when passing the station... Wait there's a station?

"Oi? I think there's a little girl and cat on the platform." Usopp informed, pulling his goggles back up.

"Let's go say hi," Luffy said. Merry drifted towards the platform. The little girl with green hair and buggy eyes ran into the lighthouse connected to the platform, dragging out a swaying older woman.

"She looks rock off her knockers," Usopp commented. Nami whacked him on the head for being rude. Zoro just nodded.

"He's right, she's drunk as shit." he pointed out. He too received a smack to the head.

Merry docked off the tracks. Luffy waves from the ship, grabbing the little girls attention. The older woman stood there looking dazed, the cat? Rabbit? Whatever it was, bounced beside the young girl, who saluted at the crew.

"Hello strangers! Welcome to shift station, I like your raccoon!" the girl welcomed with a bubbly smile. The rabbit-cat thing gave a loud "Nya!" noise to end the girls statement. Chopper stomped his foot and complained about the raccoon comment.

"Oi, Chimney. What did I say about talking to *hic* strangers?" the older woman asked the child. Who didn't bat an eye, she rocked on her feet and grinned.

"Not to talk to them," Chimney replied. The rabbit-cat made another "Nya!" sound. The older lady rolled her eyes affectionately before addressing the straw hats.

"Welcome to *hic* shift station." she reintroduced. "I'm conductor Kokoro of the Puffing Tom," Kokoro took another swig of her bottle. Swaying a bit when pointing at the little girl, "That's my grand daughter Chimney, and her cat Gonbe," she managed. Blinking away the dizzy from her eyes, giving way to focus.

"What's a train doing out here in the middle of the ocean?" Tani asked. Kokoro gave her a confused look.

"The Puffing Tom is one of a kind, the only train to ever exist? What an odd girl." she laughed. Drinking from her bottle again. Tani sheepishly rubbed at the back of her neck.

"Surely the train would be too heavy to carry over the ocean. How is it even staying afloat?" she asked with genuine curiosity. Kokoro shrugged.

"Dunno, the man behind the design was a genius." she said with a solemn expression. Tani felt bad for asking.

"Oi, green old lady." Luffy motioned for her attention. "Where's the train going?" he asked. Kokoro hummed to herself.

"Should be heading back towards Water 7 by now." she answered. "The train is on a very fixed route, only stopping by a very few number of islands. Water 7 being the central location, and Enies Lobby being limited to government officials." she explained, but Luffy zoned out after she said Water 7.

"Oi Nami-" Luffy whined. The girl already knew what he was about to ask.

"We're heading where the log pose has set." she groaned. "The last time you picked the place, we had to stop a whole island from being blown up." Nami said with a tired sigh.

"I'm the captain, and I wanna follow the train." Luffy pouted. Kokoro took the time to jump onto the ship. For a woman so drunk, she sure was mobile.

"Well Straw hat kid, you're in luck." the older woman says. "The log is set towards Water 7. The city of shipwrights and ship craft... And it looks like your vessel is in need of some fixing up." she slurs a bit. Pointing at the amateur patch jobs, Usopp did his best. Luffy bounced.

"Hey! With all that gold we got from Skypiea, we can fix Merry up," the captain cheered. Usopp looked hopeful, his rather glum mood that had been permeating since the encounter with Aokiji seemed to lift.

"We should get a proper shipwright while we're at it," Nami commented. Only adding fuel to the already growing flames of Luffy's adventurous soul.

"If you're looking for a good shipwright, go find Iceberg. He's the best of the best," Kokoro praised. "He's in charge of the Galley-la company." she explained. How convenient... A little too convenient... Then again, this was like a comic book. Man she really needed to talk to Oscar again.

"Chimney," Kokoro summoned. The girl saluted her grandmother, "Get that letter of recommendation from my desk drawer. I can't read words right now," Kokoro commanded. The little girl ran inside, coming back with a white envelope.

"Here you go, straw hat guy." Chimney says, handing the letter to Luffy. The captain grinned.

"Thanks for the help, green old lady. Bye!" Luffy bid farewell. She waved slowly, while Chimney waved wildly.

The crew spotted the Giant frog emerge from the ocean, swimming towards the station platform.

"The frog's alive," Zoro said bluntly.

"He must be tough," Tani commented. Taking note of the scars that riddled his body. She shivered at the thought, looking down at her golden cuffed hands. They'd leave some pretty nasty marks when removed. Maybe one of the shipwrights could do it? Seems out of their pay grade...

"Well if he's tough and hardworking, I can't eat him." Luffy stated logically. Tani blurted out a laugh, because Luffy logic was the best logic.

...

A large white city came into view from the distance, it's shape similar to an expensive fountain. Water flowing from all directions. How many coins would there be in that cities canals? Or is making wishes on a fountain an earth thing? There were so many questions.

"Look," Usopp called out excitedly, pointing at Puffing Tom as it pulled out of the station and chugged away.

Usopp had been a lot more cheery since the news of Merry's planned repairs. He has always loved the boat the most.

"Are we gonna give Merry an upgrade too?" Tani asked aloud, kicking her legs between the railing while chewing on one of Nami's mandarins. Nami hummed.

"It all depends on how much we get from the gold. I would love to get a larger bathroom," the navigator hummed. Sitting up from her lawn chair, Robin looked up from her book.

"I think a couple of shelves for some books would be lovely," she chimed in. Tani jumped in on the suggestions.

"We just gotta get Chopper a proper infirmary. Sitting on those barrels hurts my butt after a while," Tani begged. Chopper heard his name and came running.

"What's going on? What are we talking about?" the little deer asked, Nami bent down and lifted him onto her lap.

"We're dreaming of what upgrades we'd make to Merry if we have the money for it." Tani informed. "Mine was getting you a better infirmary, since I'm always gonna be in there." Tani snickered with self defeat.

"I'd want a lock on the fridge," came Sanji's suave voice, having come out for a smoke break. He refused to smoke in the kitchen. "Preferably one that can't be opened by brute force... Oh and a pantry, a large one," the chef sighed merrily. Chopper sank into the warm embrace of Nami.

"I want a chair that can spin around," the doctor fantasied, getting that starry look in his eyes.

"Oi Zoro," Tani called out. The man in question opened one of his eyes lazily.

"Wha?" he yawned.

"If you had unlimited money, what would you upgrade or add onto the Merry?" she asked curiously. He yawned again and closed his eyes

"Probably a gym, somewhere to train." he answered before drifting back to sleep. Usopp popped up from bellow deck, Tani waved him over.

"Usopp, if you could upgrade or add something to Merry. What you it be?" she asked. Usopp thought for a moment, before shrugging.

"Maybe more canons, in case we get in a sea fight. Other than that, I love her the way she is." he replied lovingly.

Now she just needed to ask Luffy, who was sitting on the figure head. Staring at the city of Water 7 with awestruck eyes. The girl rolled herself off the ground and skipped towards the captain, because how obvious could she get? She poked him in the back. He snapped his neck around to look at her.

"Oh hi," he grinned, twisting the rest of his around to face her.

"If you could add anything to Merry, what would you add?" she asked the question of the hour. Luffy crossed his arms and leaned his head back, pondering for a moment.

"A meat room," he concluded. Tani didn't expect anything less from him, yet she still found herself laughing at how absurd he was at time.

"That's so gross, it would smell so bad after the first day or two." she breathed through her giggles. Luffy poked his tongue out at her.

"That's what I want, your question is dumb if you think my answer is dumb," he pouted. Tani softly elbowed him in the stomach.

"It's not dumb, just impractical." she said. Luffy seemed to get it, if the return of his smile was an indication of anything.

"We're gonna make Merry all better again," he promised. Tani didn't doubt him.

"Hopefully we can dock soon, I've been meaning to find another store to restock on my snacks." Tani noted aloud, Luffy slid off the figure head. Flopping his arms over her shoulders, resting his head on her right shoulder.

"Tani," he elongated her name, she was frozen on the spot. "Can you get me some of those meat sticks? They were great," he requested. Tani let herself nervously laugh, Luffy was clinging to her a lot more lately. Thanks Skypiea!

"Sure thing Luffy," she answered, grabbing at his hands. Her thumb making little circles over the top. The texture of his skin was weird, it felt like the rubber tubing around cords... He is made of rubber but it's still weird in a Luffy way.

Luffy sank into her back, all his limbs going boneless as he nuzzled into the crook of her neck. Tani stopped moving.

Shit! Oh boy um hahaa, what's that? Is that Tani being stupid in the head because she's got no idea what she's doing? Yes! Yes it is!

"Why'd you stop?" Luffy asked directly into her ear. Tani had to let go of him before she shivered, so she grabbed his arms and using the muscle she'd built up.

Flipped him over her head, slamming him into the deck in front of her.

Whoops...

"Woah," Luffy groaned, looking up at her in... Awe? His upside down head looking into her eyes with a glimmer. "I dunno why you did that, but it was awesome!" he cheered for her from the ground.

Only Luffy would be this chipper to be tossed into the floor.

"Uh-um, I'm so sorry." Tani apologised without making eye contact. She had no idea what had gotten into her. Too shy to have her feelings known? She didn't want to make things awkward with Luffy, the moment he finds out she's got a crush on him. He'd probably back off, which she doesn't want.

Luffy bounced back to his feet, dusting off his shirt and jorts. When he lifted his head back up, he noticed just how close they got to Water 7. He was booming with re-energized excitement.

"Howdy!" came a voice from the shore line. A man with a fish rod waved at them. "You lot look like pirates," he commented. Luffy was the first to respond.

"We are! I'm gonna be king of the pirates," he declared happily. The man gave a hearty chuckle.

"Well, I'd recommend docking your ship on the outside of the city. Marines be crawling all over the place," he informed helpfully. Luffy thanked the man, and off Merry went.

The crew found the perfect spot for Merry to dock. A little ways away from this funky looking house, nobody seemed to be hanging around.

"Alright. Luffy, Usopp and I will go get the gold exchanged." Nami declared. Chopper chimed in.

"Can I go out and get some medical books? I wanna stay up to date." he asked, holding his hooves together with pleading eyes. Robin gave a soft snicker, using her regular laugh.

"I shall accompany him, the ship is lacking in new reading material for myself." the raven haired woman added. Tani decided to chime in.

"Oh I wanted to take a look for a store," she mentioned. Nami nodded, turning to look at Zoro and Sanji.

"You two better not destroy the ship while we're away," she glared. A threat on her tone. Sanji waved his hands.

"You have nothing to worry about, we'll be on our," Sanji grabbed Zoro by the ear. "Best behaviour," the blonde grinned. Zoro bat at the hand holding his ear. Nami was satisfied with the reponse.

"Well then... Let's go," the red head announced. Leading the stead.

...

Tani wandered around the city with wide eyes, everything was gorgeous and spoke to her need for an ocean themed adventure. The city split up by its river canals, that were traversed using these loch ness monster looking creatures with saddles.

The darker girl had split off from Chopper and Robin when she heard the sound of her bell ring. There was a store close by, and she couldn't wait to find it.

Through dark alley ways, and quiet streets, Tani found herself staring at the familiar IDCS sign. The air conditioning blasting her face with fresh air.

"Welcome," the clerks customer friendly voice sang.

"Hello again, long time no see," Tani greeted. Heading straight for the baskets to grab one. "Got a lot of snack requests today," Tani spoke nonchalantly. The clerk rested by the counter, their head resting in their hands playfully.

"Have you met Oscar or Trip before?" Tani asked. Grabbing a packet of chips for Usopp. The clerk hummed.

"I see you've met your kin," they say in their service voice, with hints of a more wispy tone. "Oscar shows up often, and Trip comes in once or twice a year." they respond. Tani nodded, knocking a packet of beef jerky into the basket.

"Are there many more of us?" Tani asked curiously. The clerk gave a bell like laugh.

"That would ruin the adventure, wouldn't it?" they grinned. Tani gave a huffed laugh.

"Yeah, Luffy would hate that." she smiled back. Shoving a packet of candy into the basket. "Oh! Do you have a den den mushi I could use?" Tani asked politely. The clerk nodded, floating towards a small booth that looked like a pay phone.

"Feel free to use it," the clerk bowed, floating away. Tani placed her basket onto the ground and clicked the dials.

*puru puru puru*

*puru puru-*

*Cachya*

"Hello?" came a confused voice. Tani spoke up.

"Oscar? It's me Tani," she introduced herself. The face on the den den lit up.

"You called! I'm so happy to see you, where snouts are you? Still fighting Foxy?" Oscar asked. Tani's face dropped.

"No we kicked his ass, the guy was an asshole." Tani replied. Oscar laughed.

"I know right? Does that mean you've made it to Water 7?" they asked. Tani hummed in affirmation. The den den's face went sad. "Oh boy, have fun hurting." they said.

"What? What the heck should I be wary of?" Tani asked with worry. Oscar sighed, trying to hold back but ready to burst at the seams.

"I'm sure this should be alright to say, since it might concern you." they said with worry. "There's a group you should be very wary of. A secret government agency that's main goal is to capture and imprison dangers to the government... And you'd be on their list," they said in a tone that made Tani's heart drop, but the face brightened.

"Oh don't worry though. Luffy and the crew will save you. They're already gonna be dealing with them." they assured. Tani was just confused.

"So we have to fight a government group?" Tani asked them. The den den hummed. "And we make it out just fine?" she asked. Another hum.

"Well that's assuring I guess?" Tani huffs nervously. The den den pulls a determined face.

"Don't worry! The Straw hats are tough, and you'll get a super! new nakama out of it," they winked. Tani stuck her tongue out.

"Spoiler alert," she teased. Oscar laughed. "What's the groups name? so I can warn the others," she asked. Oscar was happy to reply.

"CP9, I can't tell you who they are. Otherwise a whole lot of story things will get messed up. They're just closer than you think," Oscar replied. Tani nodded, thinking about the name. Hopefully this won't be too painful. Tani shoved her hand in her pocket, feeling a piece of paper... Trips number.

"Oh! I almost forgot, did you want Trip's number? She's-"

"YES! OH MY GOD YES PLEASE!" Oscar screamed in the mic. Tani laughed, whipping out the number and reciting it.

"She's pretty vulgar, and I don't know if she's busy with her mission with Ace-"

"Did you say Ace? Luffy's brother Ace?" Oscar said with so much hope. Almost teary eyed. Tani said yes. "Oh my god I have to call!" they said rather loudly. "Talk to you later Tani!" they said before hanging up.

Tani thought about the information she was given. CP9 was going to cause them trouble, and they were rather close? Tani better keep her eyes and ears open.

The girl handed her items to the counter and proceeded with purchase, her mind whizzing with thoughts and concerns. What would a government group want with any of the other crew members? She knew why she would be wanted, but another crew mate! She just didn't know.

She left the store in a daze, mindlessly saying goodbye to the clerk. Bags dangling from the crooks of her elbows, her hands on her chin as she ran over the information again and again.

*Bonk*

Tani ran head first into what felt like a steel wall, she bounced off it and flopped to the ground. Her bags contents being spilt on the pavement beside her. She snapped out of her daze, looking up to see a hooded man.

"Oh shoot, I'm so sorry," she apologized, grabbing at her bags. The guy turned to look at her and... Holy cow his hands are massive! Hell his whole lower arm was massive. Giving off a Popeye look.

"You should be careful little sis," he spoke with a voice that sounded like a mix of surfer dude and gangster. "There's some super nasty people running around this place," he said to her with a level of threatening, though she herself felt no malice from the guy. If anything, he was pretty chill... If not very intimidating.

He held his large hand out for Tani to grab, the girl took it with a grateful smile. Dusting off her pants.

"Thank you for the tip, I should go find my crew now. I'm sure they're worried." she smiled sweetly. The guy gave her a friendly grin. "You wouldn't happen to know the way to Galley-La would you?" she asked. His eyebrow rose. "My crew are getting our boat repaired, and my captain will be there." she smiled. The guy gave her a huff, like he wasn't a fan of the company she'd mentioned.

"They're around dock-1, super easy to find." he pointed in a direction. Tani gave him a salute, which he returned with enthusiasm.

"Thanks again Mr uhm...?" she tilted her head. He seemed to spark to life, his arms flying up and slamming together above his head as he tilted to the side.

"Franky! It's super nice to have met you," he says with a booming voice. Tani can't help but feel the electricity. She pulls a dramatic pose too, though not as super as Franky's pose.

"I'm Tanisha! But my friends call me Tani, a pleasure to meet you!" she calls back.

"Ow! Loving that energy Tani-sis," he said, flicking his hood off to show his full head of electric blue hair. He look just like a 60s greaser! So cool!

*pure puru puru*

Franky paused, digging a small den den from his Hawaiian shirt pocket and answering.

"Big bro!" came the voices on the other end, excitement in their tones. "We got the money! We have enough to get that thing you need!" the voices cheered. Franky's eyes widened, his breath caught in his throat as an excitement rolled off him.

"Super! I'll meet up with you guys at the home," Franky answered, hanging up and turning to Tani.

"It's super time for me to go, good luck little Tani-sis," he said, giving her a two finger salute. Tani waved at the guy, her bags jiggling with a chipper song...

"Wait, before you go!" Tani jogged back to the guy, ripping a bell off one of the bags and handing it to him. His massive hand grabbing the tiny bell. "It's a special bell that only I can hear, I give them to my friends and people who are super! Cool," she grinned. Pulling the same pose he had. Franky looked like he wanted to cry of happiness.

"So super sweet!" he sobbed, hiding his face from her, and denying his crying.

"Ok! Take two of goodbyes. See ya!" she called out and ran off. Leaving Franky with the little bell in his hand. He curled his hand around it. Today was just a super lucky day.

Tani felt her energy bursting, the aura of that Franky guy was infectious and fun. Giving her the energy she needed to run along the canal side walks. Her legs practically springing with a speed she didn't know she could manage. Must be all the running for her life she's had to do.

*ring*

She skidded to a halt when her ears caught onto the sound of a bell. Her bell. Out of nowhere, came a shrieking. A blur of red and blue came crashing into the building beside her, bouncing and rolling over the sidewalk into the canal... Huh... That sounded a lot like-

"Shit, it was Luffy," she face palmed. Diving into the canal to retrieve the idiot captain. Grabbing and dragging him back onto the side walk, he hacked up so much sea water that she was expecting a fish to come flying out of his next cough. He turned to look at her with dizzy eyes.

"Shishi~ there's two Tani's," he said dumbly, his hand coming up and poking her in the forehead. She grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Luffy, where's Nami and Usopp?" Tani asked, a little worried. The names seemed to snap him back to reality.

"Usopp! Tani have you seen Usopp? He's been kidnapped," Luffy said with aggressive concern. Tani felt herself pale, Franky did mention the city being dangerous. "He had a lot of the money on him too, we can't get a new boat without it," Luffy was worked up, worried for his friend. Tani yanked Luffy off the ground.

"Let's go look for him," she said with a wave of the arm, running away from the direction she came. She would have seen him if he was already that way. Luffy followed behind her.

"How did the meeting with Galley-la go? Did you get to meet Iceberg?" Tani decided to ask, might as well catch up on what's been happening. Luffy nodded.

"Yeah! There was also this guy with a pigeon that speaks for him, another guy that had Usopp's nose but a square, and this mean guy that tried to steal out money but got beaten up by pigeon guy," Luffy rattled. Filling the air with mindless chatter, it helped her feel more calm about the potentially dangerous situation that Usopp was in.

*ring*

"Hold up-" Tani said, holding her arm out, only for Luffy to smack into it and fall over. There was a few bells heading towards them.

"One, two... Five," she counted. The holders came barreling towards them. It was Zoro, Sanji and Chopper. All of them looking freaked out or concerned.

"Luffy? Tani! I'm so glad you're alright," Chopper sobbed. Running to the girl and hugging her leg, Tani crouched down and pulled the small deer into her arms for a hug. "First Robin goes missing, and now-"

"Robins missing?" Tani asked with fear. What the hell was going on?! Was CP9 already hunting the whole crew down?

"She's not missing," Sanji clarified, though his grave expression made the situation seem even worse. "I think she's being manipulated, or forced to do something she doesn't want to do," he said solemnly. Zoro sighed.

"We have more pressing matter right now," the swordsman said with a stoic tone. Taking a sniff of the air, he pointed towards a random direction, "He's this way," the swordsman pointed. Sanji turned to opposite direction.

"Oi! Idiot I said this way!"

"You're sense of direction is as good as a blind dogs, so I'm going the other way."

"I can smell his blood-"

"You can smell blood? Cool!"

"Luffy, now is not the time for this,"

Tani perked her ears up, hearing a distressed sound, a familiar cry from

"Zoro's right? I can hear Usopp. Let's go," Tani said without missing a beat. Running in the direction that Zoro had pointed. Sure enough, they found a bloodied and beaten Usopp out the front of a large building with...

"Franky family," she whispered to herself. Reading the massive sign over top the colourful building that wasn't too far away from Merry. Tani shook her head in disbelief. This couldn't be the same Franky that she'd met not too long ago... It couldn't! He was menacing sure, but there was a hint of brotherly playfulness to his character.

Enough thinking, Usopp needs help. Tani stopped by his body and crouched down to his side. Chopper was already getting to work, wrapping him in bandages. Luffy crouched down beside Usopp, who'd started to sob quieter.

"Lu-Luffy," the snipers voice broke. Tani winced at the sound, Luffy remained silent. "I-I couldn't... Protect the Be-berri... They stole it all." he broke down in an ugly sob. Tani's heart ached, she grabbed his already bandaged hand and held it comfortingly. Luffy stood up, turning his back on Usopp.

"Let's go," the captain said. Footsteps followed. Zoro, Sanji and a heavy point Chopper, all walked together towards the Franky house. Tani got up to join them, but the feeling of Usopp's hand in hers... He needed someone with him, and what good would she be in a fight against people that kicked Usopp's ass, she was 10x weaker than he is.

"Usopp," she said softly, the man in her arms looked up at her with watery eyes and tear stained cheeks. She smiled at him with as much heart as she could. "I'm proud of you, for fighting back as best you could." she praised. Feeling his grip in her hands wobble as he clenched his fingers around her own. She felt her own eyes water.

"You're so brave, and strong." she hiccuped, he needed this. He was already doubting himself after the encounter with Aokiji. This was just another blow to the ego, and she knew his self esteem was worse than her own. "Should we head back to Merry? We can talk about all the renovations we're gonna make when Luffy gets that money back." she beamed. Slowly lifting her injured nakama back onto his feet.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, while she grabbed him around the waist. Usopp hobbled back towards the Merry with Tani, the girl talking about her day (Sans the Franky stuff in case he actually was the one that attacked Usopp). Usopp seemed to lighten up, even cracking a few jokes along the walk. When they arrived at Merry, Nami was standing there alone with her hands on a silver briefcase. She turned to face them with relief and pain in her expression at the sight of Usopp.

She ran down to help pull Usopp back onto the deck. Seating him comfortably in the kitchen, Tani got up and found a saucepan to heat up milk. She's making hot cocoa and nobody is stopping her. Mum would make it for her when she was upset or scared. Three heaped teaspoons of cocoa power, heat the milk, pour it in, mix while pouring. Bam! Mums hot cocoa. They didn't have marshmallows, so it wasn't perfect, but it felt like home.

She handed the mugs out, the three of them sitting together is a calm silence. Sipping the tension away. Tani decided to speak up.

"I called Oscar today," she said calmly. Usopp looked up.

"That marine from G-8? The one you held hostage." he clarified. Tani nodded.

"Yeah, they were happy to hear from me. Which reminds me, we need to get a den den mushi at some point." Tani trailed. Back to the topic at hand, "But they mentioned something... Concerning to me," she said, blowing onto her drink. Eyes looking out the window, towards the city of Water 7.

"That mentioned a government group, that could potentially be on the look out for me..." she looked back at them. They were wide eyed and concerned. "They mentioned that the crew will come out on top, I dunno what that means but I'm confident in everyone." she grinned. Holding the mug closer.

"Did Oscar say the names? Of the group," Nami asked. Tani shook her head.

"I only know that the group is called-" Tani paused. Turning around to face the window, she heard a sound. Wings flapping, was that a bird? A white bird...

"They're called?" Usopp egged her on. She shook her head.

"CP9..." she said, keeping her eye on that window. "They're dangerous, that's all I know." Tani forced her eyes away from the window. Looking at her two companions with a shaking heart.

"We'll keep you safe," Nami assured, Usopp nodded with just as much confidence. Tani's heart felt lighter already.

*ring ring*

Tani got up from her seat. Turning and grinning with a bitter sweet smile.

"They're back," she informed, running over to Usopp and helping him stand up. He pushed himself out of her hold, wanting to stand on his own. Prove to himself that he can be strong, that he can be the brave warrior of the sea that he said he would be. Tani lingered close by.

"Welcome back," Nami greeted the roughed up boys, Luffy flew up with a grime look on his face. All of their hands were empty.

"The money's gone, already spent by their boss." Sanji informed. Blowing out a wisp of smoke.

"Who?" Tani asked curiously. She really hoped it wasn't-

"Some gangster they call Franky," Chopper huffed. Looking fierce in his heavy point form. "They wouldn't tell us where he went, but it's too late to get the money back." Chopper ended.

Usopp dropped to the ground. His knees giving out as he felt like sobbing again. This was all his fault! If he'd just been stronger... None of this would have happened... Why is he so weak?

"At least we still have the 100,000,000 berri that Nami kept." Luffy said with a more positive attitude. "Come on, let's go look at the catalog that glasses lady gave me," Luffy said with a grin. Waving everyone into the kitchen area to take a look at the booklet he had stored in his pocket.

It was full of boat designs, ranging from cheap and small, to way out of their budget... The only thing was-

"Why would we need a catalog on other boat designs? Aren't we fixing Merry?" Usopp asked skeptically. Luffy looked up from the catalog to give Usopp a shake of the head.

"Square nose guy said that Merry can't be fixed. So we need to get a new boat," Luffy shrugged. That rubbed Usopp the wrong way.

"What do you mean "She can't be fixed"? Do we not have the money for it?" Usopp said with desperation in his tone. Luffy shook his head.

"I wasn't really paying attention but-"

"You never pay attention! Even when the problem involves important nakama!" Usopp snapped. His body shaking with an anger that Tani hadn't seen before. "Are you just going to abandon Merry? After all she done for us? Because she's not strong enough? Is that it!? She's not strong enough for your crew?" Usopp burst. The crew was snapped into silence. Luffy lowered the catalog.

"I'm not abandoning her, she's too damaged to make it to the next island. There's no way to fix her-" Luffy tried to explain, but Usopp cut him off again.

"She's gotten us this far! Are you saying that she can't do it again? Nakama are meant to believe in each other!" Usopp seethed. Luffy's body went tense with a simmering frustration, Tani didn't like where this was going.

"Usopp, give Luffy a chance to-"

"Stau out of this! This has nothing to do with you," Usopp snapped at Tani. The girl shrank back at the angry words. This seemed to set Luffy off.

"Don't talk to Tani like that!" Luffy barked. Taking a step forward. "I'm telling you, Merry will not survive another trip! There's a bit of the boat that's broken and can't be fixed." Luffy growled. Usopp dug his heels in and kept arguing.

The boys kept building up, the crew outside waiting to see who would break first.

Luffy... It was Luffy.

The captain pinned Usopp to the ground, angrily belting out.

"If you're not happy on my crew! Then you can just leave!" he yelled. His words echoing through the cabin. Luffy instantly stilled, removing his hands from Usopp like he'd just touched a hot iron.

Sanji whipped his leg out and kicked Luffy in the head, throwing him off of Usopp. Who laid there frozen at the words.

"Don't say shit like that!" Sanji shouted at Luffy. Who staying still on the ground where he landed. Usopp let out a pathetic laugh.

"So that's what you think of me huh?" he said in defeat. "You're just gonna toss me aside, just like Merry." he said without emotion. Slowly lifting himself off the ground and standing.

"Usopp I didn't mean-"

"You mean everything you say," Usopp spat. "You're too honest for your own good..." he sighed. Chuckling that sad laugh to himself. Tani was stuck, she couldn't move. She understood why Usopp was upset, but Luffy was just as correct in the situation as Usopp was. They're both being idiots about it.

"I've always known... That I was weaker than the rest of you," Usopp says while looking them all over. Tears pooling in his eyes, which he swiped away. "Everyone here is so strong, and I'm too far behind to catch up... So I'll leave." he declared. Nami finally found her voice.

"No! Usopp you can't-"

"I can and I will," he snaps at her, "We all have different goals. I always knew I would out live my use on this crew. I only came along because I was invited." he claimed. Though the hurt in his voice betrayed him, they all knew that wasn't true. "So I quit." he finally says. Walking out the door.

Tani follows him, Nami and Chopper standing around the hobbling Usopp. Begging and pleading for him to reconsider, to stop and think about this. Yet he continued to walk away. Finally leaving the Merry and taking a few steps forward. Stopping and turning back to stare Luffy in the eyes.

"The ship belongs to the captain. So Straw hat Luffy," Usopp says with venom in his voice. He narrows his eyes. "I challenge you to a duel! Winner takes Merry," Usopp challenged.

Luffy's eyes were shadowed by his hat, the emotion he was feeling being as just as hidden.

"I accept," Luffy declared. Usopp nods and turns away. Leaving the crew two members short.

Nami dropped to her knees and sobbed, Chopper and Sanji ran to her aid. Tani turned to face Luffy.

The captain steeled his emotions, it was hard to read what he was feeling. Angry, sadness, regret, sympathy. So many emotions whirled around in his head. Tani ran up the deck towards him. She grabbed him by the hand and dragged him into the women's quarters for privacy.

She sat him down on her bed, she herself standing and pacing the room. She was frustrated with how the hell that argument concluded. She didn't even know why she brought him in here! The look in his eyes softened up, he let himself lose that sealed off expression. Looking at Tani with a weakness he would never show anyone else.

He grabbed her by the waist and buried his face into her stomach. His breathing unsteady as he gripped at her harder, closer. He didn't want to let go. What if she disappeared? He didn't want to lose anyone else.

Tani gently stroked through his messy black hair. Coming through it in a comforting manner, they stayed like this until Luffy's breathing calmed down. His hold remaining tight.

"You won't leave will you?" he asked with a rare weakness. Tani gave him a sad smile.

"You can't be the pirate king without your whole crew," she slid her hand down to his cheek, he lifted his head to stare into her brilliant green eyes. He leaned into the touch. "We'll get everyone back. I just know it," she assured. Oscar's words of assurance backed up her claims... Not that she'd tell Luffy that.

"Usopp can be a bit of a dumbass for someone so smart," Tani joked lightly. "He's insecure about his own strength, always questioning his place in the world." Tani explained. She understood, she was probably the one that understood the best. She was the same, she's just accepted that she would always be the weakest.

"But... I told him to leave the crew." Luffy choked. Tani stroked his hair.

"People say things they don't mean, when they get upset." she explained. "They say things they don't mean, and instantly regret it. I'm certain Usopp is upset right now, but will come around." she promised. "Because nakama stick together. We fight for each other and will always come back together when we need each other most." she smiled at her emotional captain. He smiled softly back, pulling her in closer, almost crushing her spine.

"You're the best Tani," he sighed into her torso. Tani could feel her body heat rising fast, her heart skipping a beat. Luffy gave a snicker.

"You always make me feel better. Is it a mystery Tani thing?" he asked, looking up at her. His head resting comfortably on her chest, she had to stop herself from wigging out. Now's not meant to be romantic, it's an emotional moment. She calmed her breathing.

"Yeah," she answered briefly, since using more words would have probably caused her to look foolish. Luffy cheered up slightly.

"You-"

"Dinners ready," Sanji called from atop the deck. Luffy lost all train of thought, letting go of Tani and racing out the door... Right, food always makes Luffy feel better when he's upset. Of course Sanji would get started on dinner.

Tani stood in her room thinking.

What was Luffy about to say?

She shook her head, if it was important he would tell her later. She left the room, heading for the kitchen. She needed to eat something, maybe that would get her mind off things.

...

Dinner came and went, the room felt empty without Usopp and Robin. Sanji accidently made too many meals, though Luffy powered through those. All in all, the experience was awkward and Tani didn't like it.

She was in the middle of clearing up the plates with Sanji when she heard it.

A bell approached.

"Luffy!"

Tani felt herself cringe, this was gonna be bad. Luffy wouldn't back down from the fight. She knows him too well. Usopp was already injured, so the fight wasn't in his favour... Plus Luffy was the strongest on the crew.

"Face me!"

The crew went quiet, all eyes drifting to Luffy. Who slowly stood up from the table and walked out. The rest of the crew followed.

Standing out there was Usopp. Decked out in his gear, from his sling shot, to the many smoke bombs and traps he'd crafted.

"I know you, I know exactly how to defeat you," he declared. Though his words felt hollow, like he didn't believe them himself.

Usopp started with a lie, Luffy ignored him. So Usopp dropped to the ground, coughing up "blood", catching Luffy of guard and blinding Luffy with a flash dial.

The entire fight went on like this. Luffy would go to attack, only for Usopp to counter it with a gadget, or find a way to physic Luffy out. A brains vs. Brawn fight.

The whole time, Usopp was spitting insults not only to Luffy, but himself.

Every single word stabbed at the crew, but none as painfully as Luffy. Who took every hit that was sent his way, stalling for as long as he could. He really didn't want to do this, but Usopp left him no choice.

Though Usopp's traps were working, the lack of power he had due to his injuries. Well that left him open and vulnerable, and he was growing more tired by the second.

Luffy took him out in one shot. After Usopp attempted to set off another smoke bomb. The hit left Usopp more injured than before, his barely conscious body laying on the cold ground.

Nami had to look away, turning to Sanji to cry. He looked on with a pained expression. Chopper was sobbing into Tani's leg. The girl had her eyes closed, she couldn't watch. Zoro remained stoic, though his vibes were tense. He dislikes this as much as the others.

"The boat is belongs to you," Luffy says, facing away from Usopp. "We're going to get a new one... So you can have her..." Luffy says with a pained voice. This hurts... Everything hurts... The words that Tani used to sooth him, feel like lies. Luffy feels the tears rolling down his cheeks before he can stop them.

Sanji stopped Chopper from running over to check on Usopp's wounds. Saying it would hurt his pride, to be so pitied by them all. So Chopper stated put. Hurting more and more by the second. Luffy looked up at his crew with tear filled eyes. Tani had never seen him cry before, she felt her tears fall faster.

"Grab everything that belongs to you... We're leaving," he commanded.

The crew did as they were told, collecting their things and standing by Luffy. He turned back towards the empty boat, water streaked from the mast heads eyes. As if she was crying.

"Goodbye Merry... Good bye Usopp," Luffy mourned. Turning his back on his injured nakama, and walking away. Leaving the rest of the crew to follow. Tani lingered the longest, her heart hurt... Everything hurt... She hated this. Hated the thought of leaving one of her best friends alone. When he needed them most...

She ran back to his side, he looked away from her.

"Tani," came Zoro's voice. It was deep and held authority. She held her breath, closed her eyes and cried.

"You'll always be one of my best friends Usopp. Even if we aren't on the same crew," she grabbed the be that hung from his wrist. "I'll always consider you one of my friends. Don't ever forget that," she swore. The tears that trailed his cheeks were a mix of emotions.

"Tani!" Zoro barked. Tani got up, leaving Usopp behind. Maybe if he gets time to cool off... She could only hope.

It hurt...

Everything hurt...


	33. Chapter 33

That night in the hotel was just as painfully awkward as dinner had been. Nami and Tani had a room to themselves, and without Robin there... It felt empty. Yeah that's the feeling right now, empty.

The boys weren't fairing any better. The lack of Usopp, made it harder to sleep easy. Nobody really got any sleep that night. So meeting up that morning was filled with grumpy groans and massive yawns. Eye bags on everyone's eyes.

The crew made their way down for breakfast, when some conversations floated around. Rumours of someone being shot? The mayor or something. This seemed to wake Nami and Luffy up.

"Isn't Iceberg the mayor?" Nami questioned. Turning to face the captain, he nodded. "We should go check up on him," the red head stated. Getting up from the table to leave, Luffy trailed behind her. Tani got up and intercepted them.

"Can I come along? I have a feeling that something concerning 'you know what'," she looked at Nami, who remembered Tani's worries from yesterday. "Is involved with this," Tani theorised.

"It would be safer for Tani to come along with us," Nami explained. Luffy and the others looked at each other with confused expressions. "Tani has reason to believe that there's foul play involved." Nami explained in the briefest way possible.

Luffy nodded, he didn't have time for this. Honestly he felt much better having Tani close by, that way he could fight people who try to hurt her. He's not losing anyone else from his crew.

"Hurry up! We gotta check on Iceberg guy," Luffy reminded. The girls jumped into action, running by Luffy's side. The rest of the crew was left to find Robin.

Tani ran beside the speeding captain and navigator. Concern was written all over their faces. Tani hadn't met anyone from Galley-la, so she wasn't really sure what to expect. There was something in the air that left her skin with goosebumps... Something was going to happen and she didn't like it much.

"There's dock-1," Nami huffed, slowing down to a jog. Letting her breath catch up with her. Tani stared at the large doors that lead to the dock. Her eyes wide with awe, it was huge! It would need to be, it was a dock for massive ships.

There was a massive group of citizens waiting around the front of the shipyard. All concerned with the well-being of Iceberg. There was chatter, about all sorts of things.

"Who would do such a thing?"

"Why now? Right before Aqua Laguna?"

"Why Iceberg? He's so kind,"

"I heard it was the Straw hat pirates that did it!"

That last one caught Tani off guard. Why would their crew be suspects?

*ring*

Tani turned around to face a tall bridge that connected the above layers of the city. Standing there was a large cloth being held up by god knows what. From the way the sun was hitting the fabric, three figures could be seen. Two being the same size, and the centre being an all too familiar shape.

"Franky?" Tani whispered to herself. Luffy and Nami caught Tani's whisper.

"Franky?" Luffy repeats. Then loud music started to play. All the chatter from the citizens shifted to focus on the mystery people.

The citizens realize who it is, and begin to throw insults and hate towards Franky and his two companions. Tani was too confused about what to do. Luffy tried to get her attention, when that familiar gangster voice called out.

"Reveal yourself Straw hat Luffy!" Franky demanded. The cloth dropping to reveal two slender women with square shaped Afros posing dramatically with swords, to top it all off. Franky was standing there with a speedo on? Tani didn't see that last time. This world was robbing her of her purity every other Tuesday.

The people panicked and scattered, leaving a pissed off Luffy, a nervous Nami and a conflicted Tani.

"Who the hell are you? I'm busy right now!" Luffy snarled. Franky faces the much smaller man, giving off a laugh at the sight of Luffy.

"This little dude beat up and destroyed the Franky house?" Franky questioned the two girls, who nodded. "What the hell is that little-" Franky paused, noticing the familiar capped girl. He pointed at her.

"Ow! Tani-sis? What are you doing here?" he asked her casually. Ignoring Luffy, who was just as confused as the blue haired man. She pointed at Luffy.

"He's my captain," she declared. The look of disappointment on Franky's face struck a cord. "You're the one who hurt Usopp and stole our money?" Tani stated like a question, but they all knew the answer. This upset her a lot more than she wanted it to. She'd only just met the guy, and while it was a short encounter. The energy he gave off was infectious and positive. How could he be the same guy to have caused Usopp such great pain.

"That was your money?" he questioned, pointing only at Tani. He kinda just ignored Luffy and Nami, which really pissed off Luffy. "And the little dude that came in to get it back-"

"YOU BASTARD!" Luffy shouted. Throwing a gum gum pistol at Franky. Who reacts by catching the flying limb. He whipped it up, sending Luffy flying into the air, before cracking it back down towards the water. Tani reacted without thinking, running and diving straight for the water. Nami on the other hand remained in place, sending hateful glares at Franky.

"If it wasn't for you, Usopp would still be on our crew." she growled at the man. Who turned and hummed at her. Lifting his sunglasses to get a good look at the red head. She reached into her shirt and pulled out her clima-tact. The staff clicking into place as she got ready to fight back.

Tani broke the surface of the water with Luffy, using all her strength to throw him back onto the pavement.

"Get out of the water!" Nami shouted at Tani. Dark clouds formed from the navigators staff, a crackling noise following them. Tani was yanked out of the water by Luffy. Who held her close to his side

The clouds Nami formed started blazing to life, electricity striking around Franky and his two companions. The two women fled from the scene, but Franky took every bolt of electricity that came his way. Was he null to it? How?

Franky let out a laugh, cracked his knuckles and... Wait no that's his palm opening up?! What the hell kind of-

"Coup de vent!" Franky calls out. Sending a blast towards the three straw hats. Luffy hooks Nami around the waist and jumps over the shot. The explosion managed to hit the gate for dock-1, blasting it open.

Luffy dropped the girls off by the sidelines, cracking his knuckles in preparation for the oncoming brawl. Franky jumped off the bridge he was on, landing in the water with a splash.

"Does he have a devil fruit?" Nami questioned, because no normal human can shoot rockets from their palms. Tani shook her head, pointing at Franky's mop of blue hair. The man's large arms clambering up the pavement with a devious grin.

He hopped effortlessly onto the solid ground and shook his head like a dog. Water flicking all over the place. His hair managed to bounce back into place, giving him that cool pompadour look. Tani had to snap herself out of praising him. The blue haired man tapped at his chest a couple times before opening his mouth and breathing fire?! At Luffy. The rubber man having to jump out of the way before the flames could lick his skin. Once the flames stopped, Tani have come to a conclusion.

"Are you a robot?!" Tani blurted out. She freaking loved robots, if he was than that would explain her conflicted feelings of admiration and awe. Franky looked at her with that charming grin.

"Cyborg, Tani-sis." he corrected. Before turning back to fight her captain. Holy shit! That's so cool! She's practically glowing with admiration.

Luffy and Franky continue to exchange blows, with Luffy being tossed into a lot of ships and piles of wood. Breaking a lot of things. A small crowd of people swarmed the entrance of the shipyard, watching the pair battle it out.

"Straw hat!" came an angry male voice. A rope snaked itself towards Luffy, wrapping around his wrist and dragging him violently into a pile of planks. Completely shattering them on impact. Tani decided now was time to step in.

"Wait! This is a misun-"

"What the hell are you wearing woman? That's inappropriate!" came the voice of the blonde man that had the ropes. His tan face bursting into a bright red. Tani looked at her clothes, all she had was a pair of long red puffy pants, and a black and white striped cropped singlet. Her stomach and arms were exposed but that's about it.

"You again!" Nami pointed from beside Tani. "Prudish idiot!" she insulted.

"Indecent woman!" he growled back. The doors burst open to the main building, out came a man in orange with a square nose, as well as a Freddie Mercury looking guy with a...

Was that a white dove, on his shoulder? That looked like the bird from yesterday. She didn't like that guy... He made eye contact with her, his eyes were dangerous. Tani shuffled closer to Nami.

"Lucci, Kaku. Apprehend Straw hat and his crew mates." the blonde ordered. The order leading to the new arrivals jumping into action. Franky was upset by this.

"Oi! Back off, this is between me and Straw hat." Franky snapped. The blonde turned to Franky with a glare.

"This is Galley-la's issue thanks. Straw hat is suspected of being in kahoots with Nico Robin." the blonde informed. Tani spoke up.

"You know where Robin is?" she said with shock. The guy looked at her with an uncomfortable expression, his face looking away from her.

"I should be asking you lot that! Since the demon woman shot Iceberg!"

Robin did what?

"Robin would never!" Nami denied. Stepping forward with an anger boiling. "She's been missing for a whole day, we've been looking for her." she pleaded their innocences, but the stubborn man wouldn't listen.

"You're on the same crew as her, so you must be working with her." he concluded. Tani rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Jesus, you have to be a total dunce to think like that." Tani blurted. She crossed her arms and glared. "Just because she's on our crew, doesn't mean we have to be doing the same things. We all have our own dreams you moron," she snapped. The blonde gawked at her rude remarks. Franky burst into laughter at the spunky display.

"You rude-" he was cut off when Tani launched her yo-yo's at his feet, tripping him over. She whipped them back to herself and started twirling the weapon around casually. Normally she didn't have this much confidence, but this guy was being close minded as hell. The pigeon guy and square nose took that as a signal to take action.

The two of them were fast! And extremely powerful. Tani wouldn't have stood a chance if both Luffy and Franky hadn't jumped to her aid. Luffy deflecting the square guy, while Franky took on the pigeon man. Tani stood her ground, watching the blonde man with a careful eye-

A rope tangled around her foot and flipped her onto her back. Tani had the wind knocked out of her lungs, but recovered before he could drag her towards him for another slam. She kicked her tangled foot upwards, tossing the slack of the rope towards her hands. She grabbed it and tugged on it, the blonde man pulled backwards, tightening the rope and giving Tani the support she needed to flip herself back onto her feet. Using the momentum she gained to sock the man in the face with her fist.

Thank you Zoro!

He pulled back, holding his nose. Which started to bleed. Tani blew on her knuckles, bouncing on her feet in anticipation. She felt her confidence rising. The blonde narrowed his eyes at her. His ropes retracting back to his hands, which he used to crack them like a whip. Tani spun her yo-yo's at speeds only possible thanks to Usopp's genius...

Now's not the time to deal with emotional hurt, you've got a fight to focus on.

"Can't we just talk with Iceberg?" Nami pleaded. "We need to explain what-"

"Shut up you indecent redhead," the blonde barked. "He doesn't want to see you lot," he shouted at Nami, who ground her teeth and-

*Slam!*

Her clima-tact smacked right into his head. Knocking him to the ground for a second time. Luffy was still being smacked around like a rag doll, none of the attacks doing anything to harm him.

Franky was getting really pissed, he didn't want to fight these shipwrights. He wanted to kick Straw hats ass. This bird guy was really starting to get on his nerves. He stood back, Mozu and Kiwi knew to stay back when he did this. Franky held his arm's forward preparing for a coup de vent. He spotted Tani and the other girl smacking Paulie around. The poor girls would be caught in the cross fire if he didn't do something.

"Oi! Tani-sis!" he called out, the girl looked his way. "Move!" he shouted. The girl looked at his hands and felt her eyes bug out. She grabbed Nami by the arm and bolted out of the blasts estimated range. Franky gave a smirk, his sunglasses flipping onto his eyes.

"Coup de vent!" he called out. Sending a massive blast of air from his palms, the pressure so great that it not only sent all the shipwrights flying, but absolutely obliterated the gigantic boat that was sitting in the middle of the yard. Tani and Nami held onto each other as the wind blew around them.

The damage done to the boat, lead to bits and pieces flying and smashing into a crane. The structure splintering and falling from its place. The crowds of angry spectators, fled the scene. Dust filled the air, leaving Tani completely blinded.

She felt a hand clasp her arm. The grip was tight and too large to be Nami. In a jolt of panic, she turned her head and clamped her teeth into the offending hand. Hearing no hiss of pain, no signs that she'd hurt the hand, but the grip lessened and she managed to wiggle out of the grasp.

The dust cleared, she turned around to find-

No one... There was nobody there...

Maybe she was just getting jitters from Oscar's warning.

Luffy emerged from the dust, completely unharmed by the attack. He dusted himself off and walked towards the girls, who sighed with relief at the sight of him.

"We can go talk to that Iceberg guy now," Luffy said, pointing at the door to the building. Tani turned back to find Franky looking tired, his hair having flopped over his face.

"Ow! Straw hat," he shouted. Luffy turned to face him. "I'll be back to kick your ass, once I'm recharged." he declared. Turning away with his two friends and bailing.

After Franky was gone, Luffy turned to Tani and his face lit up.

"That was so cool!" he freaked out. His eyes glittering like shooting stars. "A cyborg! With fire breath and arm canons! You think he can shoot lasers from his eyes?" Luffy rattled on. Tani was just as hyped.

"Can he fly? He's part robot so he must have jet pack feet," she fangirled beside him.

"He may be a total jerk, but he's so cool!" Luffy was beaming. Nami took that moment to remember something Tani had said.

"How did you know he was Franky?" the red head asked. Tani snapped out of her fangirl mode and answered.

"I ran into him before running into Luffy and the others yesterday. He was really nice to me though," she explained. "Shouldn't we be going to talk to Iceberg now?" she asked. Luffy nods, but instead of running into the building like the girls expected. He grabbed them both by the waist and threw an arm up to a building opposite of the Galley-la company. Landing with a thunk of his feet.

Tani smacked Luffy in the cheek, already feeling dizzy from the height. They were on a slightly tilted, tiled roof! One wrong slip up and she's a pancake on the floor below.

"Stay here, I'll go talk to Iceberg." Luffy told them. Before grabbing a ledge on the Galley-la building and swinging forward. The resounding crash of a glass shattering, echoed back to them.

Nami sat down on the tiles, the wind caressing her soft orange hair. Tani sat down beside her. The navigator sighed, her head falling onto her knees.

"This is all a mess," she sighed with a wobble in her throat. Tani couldn't agree more. "Everyone keeps leaving. First it was Robin, now it's Usopp. What's going to happen to us?" she asked, but Tani had no answer. She just draped her arm over Nami's shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. Nami leaned into the touch.

"It'll all work out just fine." Tani promised. Nami sighed deeply into Tani's shoulder. Normally Nami would have Usopp to bounce off of...

"Hey," Tani started, Nami looked up. "Why don't we go pay Usopp a visit? Not as former crew mates, but as friends. Just to check up on him." Tani asked. Knowing that Nami would accept the suggestion, she missed Usopp dearly. "Plus I have to make good on the snacks I promised to get him." Tani added like sprinkles to the top of a perfect sundae. Nami took a bite.

"It would also be good to keep him in our favour... You know, in case we meet again at sea." she said softly. Hugging closer to Tani.

Nami lifted her head up, a chill in the wind. Soft clouds in the sky, floated further away. She could smell the sea salt in the air... There was a storm coming, a big one at that. A tsunami? The weather hadn't lied to her yet.

*bang*

The girls stilled, looking towards the window that exploded from the gunshot. Tani spotted Luffy bouncing onto the roof top, keeping his head close by the blown out window.

What happened?

...

Luffy met up the the girls on the roof, his face grim with the information he'd gathered.

"Robin and a masked man did it," he confirmed. Nami and Tani stated at each other in shock. So Robin really did... "But she's not evil! I just know she is a good person," Luffy huffed.

"What if it's that CP9 group? That sounds like a plot twist that would certainly happen in a world like this," she pondered aloud. Luffy looked at her in confusion.

"What's a CP9?" Luffy asked. Tani and Nami exchanged a look. Would Luffy be upset that Tani knew something like this? It spoiled a bit of the adventure, but Tani's life was potentially in danger... Tani gave a sigh.

"They're a government group, that's all I know about them. They also search and hunt down threats to the government." Tani explained briefly. "I don't know what they want with Robin, but I don't think she's doing this willingly." she said. A cold breeze from the approaching storm hit her spine.

Just the thought of one of their friends was enough to chill them to the core. Luffy decided.

"We need to save her. She's our nakama, nobody messes with nakama," he declared with determination. "Let's go-"

"Attention all citizens of Water 7," came a woman's voice over the city. "Please report any sightings of Straw hat Luffy and his crew. They're suspected of attempted murder against mayor Iceberg." her voice said with no emotion. Luffy ground his teeth at that.

"We need to find the others," Nami stated. Tani widened her eyes.

"Someone needs to warm Usopp," she said with urgency. Luffy looked into her eyes, the concern she had for their lost nakama. "He's been seen with you and Nami, so he's just as much of a target now. I won't stand by and let him get caught in our business," she spoke with no room for argument. Nami nodded.

"We can look for Usopp after we meet up with the others." she assured. Holding Tani's shoulder with a soft smile. Luffy grinned at the girls.

"Yeah! He's not our nakama anymore, but he's still a friend." Luffy agreed. Jumping to his feet and holding his arms out for balance. "Let's go find Zoro and the others. We need to stop Robin from trying to shoot Iceberg again," he said.

She was gonna what?

"Why would she-"

"Because she's being forced to, dumb dumb," Luffy stated like it was the most obvious conclusion. Tani glared at him with no malice. The captain considered that a win. "Let's go!" he cheered. Grabbed both women around the waists and hoisting them over his shoulders. Tani clawed at his red vest for dear life.

"I'm gonna kill you-"

Luffy jumped over to the next roof top, running and bouncing at speeds that made it hard to keep your eyes open without getting motion sickness. His skin tinged a slight pinky-red like it had during the bean stalk run in Skypiea.

Gear second?

"I see Zoro!" Nami called, her voice being lost to the wind. Luckily Luffy caught it.

"Yosh!" Luffy replied, spotting the green blob that is Zoro's hair. "Yahoo!" Luffy cheered while jumping off the roof top to crash into Zoro.

The moss head didn't see it coming.

Luffy slammed into his back, foot first. The swordsman was sent sprawling on the ground, the girls in Luffy's arms were dropped. Slapping into the ground with a thunk. All three of Luffy's victim's gave the captain a smack to the head for the rough landing.

"Idiot! You could have crushed my bones! Turned me into human soup on this very concrete path," Tani bemoaned with the dramatic flare of an stage play actor.

"Less whining, more running," Zoro groaned. Spotting the group of people that stared at them, an exchange of whispers signalling now was go time.

"It's Straw hat!" came the call. The pirates bolted through the streets, attempting to lose the group. Yet every new turn they took, another group would join the chase.

Tani didn't have the stamina for this, she may last a while when running, but for this long? She panted and choked on every breath she could swallow. Luffy took notice of his tired nakama, they needed to lose these annoying people fast.

That's when he spotted the bridge. The time it would take, for him to stretch out and provide cover. Yeah that would work.

Luffy jumped over the ledge of the bridge, his hands stretching over the bridges ledge. He flicked his legs to the other side and dug his toes into the ledge on the other side. Zoro caught on to what Luffy was doing, grabbing both women and tossing them onto the Luffy hammock, before jumping down himself. Luffy let out a huff of air, the weight of three people making it hard to keep a grip on the bridge... Just a little bit...

The foot steps of the groups ran over the bridge.

Little longer...

"Where did they go?"

"They can't have gone far!"

"This way! I think I saw a straw hat!"

The foot steps clattered away. Leaving the hidden crew with some room to breath. Nami was the first to risk speaking.

"That was close," she whispered. Her legs swinging over Luffy's stretched torso. Luffy held his breath from all the weight. Tani felt uneasy.

"Which crew mate so you think they saw?" she worried, pulling her legs closer to her chest. "I hope it wasn't Usopp, I'd feel bad if he got roped into our mess." she sighed. Zoro huffed.

"Usopp can take care of himself, he's not our problem anymore." he said with an air of discomfort, like the words felt... Wrong. Tani rolled her eyes.

"What if they were talking about an actual straw hat?" Nami said. That was a possibility, Luffy's not the only one in the world with a hat made of straw.

"Guys... Heavy," Luffy wheezed. Finally letting go of the bridge he was latched to. The four of them had no time to shriek before the water engulfed them.

The crew resurfaced, with Zoro holding Luffy's head above the water. If Tani had a dollar for everytime Luffy fell in the canals, she'd have enough for a small meal at McDonalds... Wow she missed fast food.

"Tani? Hello? Tani," Nami said with a hushed tone. Tani blinked back to the present. Turning to her nakama with a "huh?".

"Can you hear any bells?" Nami asked. Tani concentrated, but couldn't hear anything but their own bells. She shook her head.

The group dragged themselves out of the water, Luffy and Zoro shook themselves of water like dogs. Tani and Nami dead pan stares at the neanderthal men before them.

"Less dawdling, more finding Chopper and Sanji." Nami said. Grabbing both boys by the collar of their shirts and dragging them behind her. Tani trailed beside the navigator, keeping her hands cupped around her ears.

It didn't take her long to find a bell sound, however the sound was... Melancholic. She was 90% certain it was Usopp, unless Sanji or Chopper got some really bad news. Tani stated put for a couple more seconds, tilting her head towards the sound.

Nami and the others failed to notice their tracker had paused, the boys too busy joking about something while the navigator rolled her eyes and looked for their nakama.

"Hey guys-" Tani turned to face the empty space her friends used to be. She looked back at the spot, then the path way she'd noticed... What's the harm in finding that bell. The worst it'll be is Franky, but he's cool even if he caused the destruction of Luffy and Usopp's friendship.

Tani wandered down the alley way, following the sound of the bell that sang a solemn tune. The path was weirdly silent, give or take the sounds of birds flapping and foot steps... It felt like she was being watched.

She whipped her head around... Nothing. Her spine rattled, hair standing on edge. Now's not the time to freeze. So she picked up the pace, her sneakers clicking against the pavement as the anxiety of dangerous eyes followed her.

A birds chirping gave her nothing but dread, her gaze finding that same white dove from the Freddie Mercury guy. Oh god was he the one following her? He was so fast when fighting Franky! Why is this path so long?

"You probably don't want to take another step," came a cold voice. It was deep and masculine. Tani didn't want to turn around to find out.

"What do you want?" she asked with false confidence. Her hands already dipping into her pockets.

"Your kind are far too dangerous to be meddling with rookie pirates." his voice replied. Stone cold and stoic, it's every middle aged white mums dream. Tani swallowed hard against the lump in her throat.

"Is that so, Mr CP9 man." she replied, turning around to face the man. Her assumptions were correct, it was the Freddie Mercury look alike. His eyes hooded and bored, he knew Tani wouldn't pose much of a threat. The girl remained as calm as she could. "I'm not free until next Thursday, mind if we reschedule the kidnapping for another time?" she mocked. Where the hell were her crew?

"Very funny, Miss Tanisha Lowe-"

"Smoke bomb!"

The alley way filled with smoke, a hand clasped around her arm. Only this time the hold was comforting, someone familiar. Tani was dragged backwards by said arm and pulled into a clearing. Her and her saviour bolting for safety in the crowded streets.

Tani cleared her throat with a cough before opening her eyes to see the back of Usopp, as he dragged her forward with laboured breaths. Tani couldn't help the grin that spread to her face.

"Usopp! You're al-"

"Less talking, more running!" he snapped back. Legs pounding as he dragged her around corners and narrow paths. The ocean drawing closer.

Tani couldn't feel the cold stare of CP9 guy anymore. They either lost him, or he didn't plan to engage. Either way, she felt safer.

Usopp stopped running once he made it to the landing spot for Merry. A painful stab to the gut pain hit Tani's stomach. She looked so... Broken? Usopp turned to look at her, a sheepish look on his face. Like he wanted to look indifferent, but the sight of his friend just brightened the mood.

"Thanks for saving my life," Tani greeted, holding out her arms as an invitation. Usopp pondered for a moment before grinning, throwing his arms around her. Tani held on tight.

"It's good to see you're alright," Usopp sighed with relief. Pulling back and giving her a neutral expression. "After that announcement, I was worried about you guys... Not that I care, you're not my crew any more," he brushed off. Tani chuckled.

"Robin's still missing, and I haven't seen Chopper or Sanji since this morning." she relayed. Pulling out of the hug completely. Usopp decided to start walking back towards Merry, Tani followed. "I'd just lost Luffy, Zoro and Nami before you found me," she ended. Usopp rubbed under his nose.

"The mighty Usopp came to your rescue," he gloated. Tani let him have that one, it was true and he needed the victory. She smiled at him.

"How's Merry? Hopefully she's not too lonely." Tani asked. Usopp gave a saddened huff.

"She's been just fine. I've been working on her," Usopp explained. "I plan on sailing her back home. I'm sure Kaya will be happy to see me again..." he smiled sadly. Tani tilted her head.

"Kaya? She your girlfriend or something," Tani teased, giving him a nudge in the ribs. He hissed a bit, so she gave him an apologetic look.

"Nah, she's this lovely girl that gave us Merry after we saved her from her evil pirate butler." Usopp recited, getting more animated as he told the story. "She was very sick because he kept poisoning her. I would tell her stories everyday so she would feel better." he said with nostalgia. The pair climbed up the gangplank onto Merry.

"That was all before you showed up," he grinned. Walking into the kitchen area, and taking a seat at the table. Tani followed.

"God, how long ago was that? It feels like I've been here for a lifetime." Tani said. Usopp kicked his feet up to rest on the table, Sanji would totally kick his ass when he-

Oh right...

"How's uh... How is everyone?" Usopp asked curiously. Tani sighed.

"It's not the same without you there." she admitted. Turning to him with a sad expression. "I don't think I've ever had a whole day without you there. It feels wrong." she said with a slight hiccup. Usopp looked away with a mix of guilt and sympathy.

"Nami and I planned to pay you a visit... But then the whole Robin attempting murder and CP9-"

"Robin did what?" Usopp cut her off. Oh right he didn't know.

"Yeah, she tried to shoot Iceberg. She wasn't alone though. So we all suspect foul play." Tani explained simply. Usopp nodded in agreement.

"It's gotta be that group. I think Robin is creepy, and she's got a track record for destroying the groups she's with... But I don't know. That seems out of character for her," Usopp pondered. Tani nodded in agreement.

"We can only hope that she will get out." Tani ended the conversation. The pair sat in silence...

An awkward silence.

They both and things to say, things to ask. Yet neither opened their mouths. Tani fixed the straps on her bag, when the sound of crinkling hit her ears.

"I almost forgot," Tani started. She dug her hand into the bag and pulled out a packet of chips. Going with barbeque this time round, Usopp looked at them with a tile of the lips. "Told you I'd get some more chips," she said, tossing the bag at him. He caught it without any issue, looks like he's already making a speedy recovery.

He popped the bag open and shoved the contents into his mouth. The crunch echoed around the empty room... Merry felt so wrong being this empty...

"Usopp-"

A loud crashing noise was heard on deck. Was that CP9 Guy back? Tani turned to Usopp with concern in her eyes. He stared back with the same look. Heavy foot steps drew closer.

Tani stood up, her yo-yo's already attached to her fingers. Usopp had his sling shot at the ready. The pair stood beside each other, ready to defend themselves from the threat.

The boards creaked.

Another step.

And another.

Another...

Alright we get it, suspense is great! Get on with-

"Ow! Super kidnapping move!" came a familiar voice. Tani opened her mouth only to get a sack tossed over her head and tied around her neck. The same happening to Usopp, who choked on his shock.

Tani kicked and smacked at the large arm and back that held her up in the air, her voice muffled in the cloth bag.

At least it's Franky and not that creepy bird dude...

...

Tani winced and hissed as the light struck her face, the bag had been dropped to the ground beside her. She blinked once, twice, three times, relearning the rhythm before focusing on where the hell she was.

Beside her was an empty chair, also with a bag dropped on the ground. The room she was in was a steel grey, large enough to fit a-

"Oh Merry," Tani smiled towards the boat. Only now noticing that Usopp was hard at work, fixing up the minor damage caused by the crews reckless behaviour.

Tani got up off the chair, surprised at the lack of restraints to hold her down. She scanned the room some more and found Franky sitting on a worn couch. A pink guitar in his hands... How would he play that with such large hands? Another life mystery... God she was starting to sound like Luffy.

Speaking of Luffy. Was he worried that she was missing? Had he even noticed? Probably, this is Luffy. He's a mystery to life in and of himself. He can handle himself though, for now Tani needed to focus on what was happening right now.

"Yo! Tani-sis," Franky waved from his seat. Motioning for her to come over. Usopp looked up at Franky, before finding Tani standing. Awake and fine.

"Leave her alone, she's done nothing to deserve this." Usopp sneered. Tani huffed.

"And you have?" she questioned. Usopp said nothing. Probably realising what he said was dumb, the straw hat pirates did wreck Franky's home. Tani's a straw hat... If anything, it's Usopp who shouldn't be here!

"Ow! Tani-sis. Sorry for the super not cool kidnapping. I just need straw hat so I can kick his ass." Franky apologized, Tani waved it off.

"Better you than the creep that's been following me," she dismissed. Franky let out a howl.

"Wah! Tani-sis is so kind!" he sobbed. Strumming a tune into his guitar, "IM NOT CRYING! YOU ARE!" he proclaimed, sobbing some more. Usopp rolled his eyes and continued to hammer away.

Tani wandered towards the sniper, a scowl on his face as he hit harder and harder into the wood.

"Need a hand?" she asked sheepishly. Tani was no Bob the builder, but she can help with hammering things. Usopp shook his head at her.

"I don't need help," he strained. Irritation present in his voice. Had she done something wrong? Tani turned to face the casual strums of a guitar. It was probably Franky's fault.

"Usopp-bro has been trying to fix that lost cause for the last 10 minutes." Franky said. Tani nodded.

"Sounds like Usopp. He's been our shipwright? The repair guy. Since we started our trip around the Grandline." Tani explained. Usopp kept an ear out for his name, but remained focused on fixing Merry.

"Well no wonder the repairs are so amateur." Franky said bluntly. Usopp's muscles tensed at the insult. "I can tell that he has no prior training." the blue haired man stated.

"How? You a shipwright or something?" she asked, leaning against Merry. Franky stood up and gave a pose.

"I'm a super! Shipwright, trained by the best of the best." he declared. Man, Franky is so cool.

"That's awesome! Our cre-" she started, only to get a look from Usopp. "My crew... Have been looking for a shipwright." Tani corrected. Franky flicked his glasses down.

"No can do little-sis. I'm a scrapper now," Franky said. Tani gave a pout. "Haven't built a ship in years. Gave that up," he said flippantly.

"If you're a shipwright, or was one." Tani started. "Can you do a re-"

"That ship," he pointed at Merry, "Is broken beyond repair. You can't fix her," he declared. Nailing that final corner of the coffin.

Usopp dropped his hammer, and turned to Franky with the most aggravated expression.

"Merry's carried us this far! She can do it again," Usopp snapped. Franky rolled his eyes and gave a tired scowl. Standing up from the couch and walking over to Usopp.

Usopp had no time to react before Franky grabbed him by the head and shoved him under water. Facing his head towards the underside of Merry. A long splinter trailed up her centre, deep and wide. Usopp closed his eyes, the evidence was there... But it hurt to accept.

Franky yanked him back out of the water. His expression serious.

"This boat is not fit to sail, she's dying." Franky said. Usopp looked away with a pained expression. "You can't fix her, not with your lacking repair skills!" Franky was harsh. His words cutting into the already down sniper.

"You don't know anything," Usopp growled. "Merry's alive, she fixed herself on Skypiea. She wants to-"

"What? She fixed herself?" Franky questioned. Looking at Usopp with a knowing look.

"Yeah, a little kid in a raincoat was repairing her." Usopp explained. "The next day, she was just fine." his voice was pleading. Tani backed him up.

"She had attachments that were removed the next morning. There was no way anyone would have known her original design." she claimed. Franky nodded.

"You saw the Klabautermann," Franky stated. The pair looked up in confusion. "They're a water spirit that tends to the needs of well cared for ships." he said with a smile. "Merry must have wanted to set sail one last time." Franky said sadly.

The cyborg whipped out his guitar and lamented the sadness of the situation. Tani looked at Usopp with confusion, he returned the gesture. Franky paused mid song to finish explaining his point.

"Merry wanted you to live on, she'd regret letting you sink." Franky said. Usopp squirmed under the heavy words. "It's time to let her go." the cyborg finished. Before turning around and with his large fist, smashing into the side of Merry.

Usopp let out a pained shriek, Tani was frozen with shock. Usopp ran to Franky and started hitting him with all the strength he had. Franky continued to tear into Merry, boards snapped, metal creaked. It was like watching a friend being torn apart from the limbs.

"Stop! Stop it!"

"You're hurting Merry!"

"Stop it! Leave her alone!"

Usopp sobbed as he hit and hit, over and over. Franky continued to scrap the little boat.

*knock knock*

The commotion froze. The trio standing in silence as they turned towards the door. Knocking continued.

"We expecting someone?" Tani whispered. Usopp dropped of Franky, instantly moving to stand beside Tani. His hands beside his bag.

"My family are meant to come around to take shelter from Aqua Lagoona... They know to use the back door." he replied quietly.

*knock knock*

Tani held her breath, heart rate accelerated. The small muscle pounding into her ribs as she felt an anxiety rising.

"There's no bell sound. So it's not our... My crew," she whispered.

"If we stay quiet, they'll go away?" Usopp assured. Then a voice called out.

"Franky? You in there?" came a man's voice. Franky opened his eyes in realization.

"Is that Blueno?" the cyborg whispered. Blueno continued.

"Please! Open the door. I got locked out of my shelter, Aqua Lagoona is approaching." he begged Franky felt himself worry. "Are you there?" the voice sounded desperate.

"I can't leave him out there," Franky sighed. "That tsunami is a death sentence." he concluded. Padding his way towards the door. Tani latched her hand onto Usopp's own. Her friend held it tight, his own fears spilling out.

"I have a bad feeling about this... I can't explain it but-"

Usopp was cut off by the sound of Franky being kicked across the room. His body smashing into the little couch. The pair let go of each others hands to grab their weapons-

"You again?!" Tani groaned. Spotting pigeon guy as he wandered into the room, beside him was the square nosed guy, a lady with long hair and glasses, and this large guy with horned hair. "This is getting old you creepy stalker," Tani growled. Pigeon guy huffed, turning towards Franky.

"Where are the blueprints for Pluton?" he said coldly. Franky rubbed his head, dusting himself off.

"What? Never heard of it," he said with a smug grin.

Square nose jumped forward at light speed, kicking Franky and sending him flying into a blocked off spot. The wall shattering as Franky's metal body destroyed it. CP9 journeyed into the room to take a peek. Franky let out an angry roar.

"Stay out of there!" he seethed. His words holding a whole world of hurt. "Don't you dare walk into the room where he lived!" he continued to beg with anger.

The group ignored him and looked through the dusty room. Blueprints, books and manuals covered the room. A desk on the corner, a futon on the floor. Who lived there?

"Lucci, I don't see the blue prints." the bull man reported. Pigeon guy sighed.

"Cutty flam," he deadpanned, "Where are the blueprints?" he glared. Franky narrowed his gaze.

"Cutty flam died, the day the government killed Tom," he seethed. Tani felt awkward standing there. Lucci sighed.

"Capture them," he commanded. His lackeys jumping to action to capture the trio. Tani didn't move an inch before the square guy had her on the floor. His leg pressed against her back.

"Wrap it up, we've got work to do." Lucci said. Grabbing Franky from the bull guy. Tani struggled against square nose, Usopp was in the arms of the lady.

Bull guy stood before them and, opened what looked a portal to another dimension. Clicking it open like a door.

The captured trio was then tossed through the door, the ropes around them being tight. Tani stared at the portal that slowly closed.

The ground beneath her shook, she knew that feeling.

They were on the train.

The door clicked shut, Tani felt herself panic. Her crew had no idea where she was right now. She didn't even know where she was! And the second location rule still applied here.

Please... Someone come save her.

"Oi Tani," Usopp spoke in a quiet tone. She turned to him, he smiled comfortably back to her.

"They'll come for you, they always do." he assured. Tani nodded, that's right! Luffy and the others would never abandon her... Or Usopp.

"They'll save you too," she grinned back. Usopp looked away.

"I don't think so..." he replied. Tani rolled her eyes.

"Yes they will you big idiot. We're friends, even if we aren't on the same crew anymore," she reminded. Usopp sighed pathetically.

"Ow! That's so super adorable!" Franky sobbed. Tani laughed at that.

"They'll save you too, even if you're a total jerk in their eyes." she promised.

The three of them stopped talking once they felt a rumble under them. Tani and Franky knew that feeling.

The train was moving.

A loud whistle rang out.

"It's go time," Tani whispered.

Now they just have to wait.


	34. Chapter 34

"I'm thinking of a colour," Tani stated. Leaning against Franky's stomach, her back in an awkward position.

"Is it a warm colour?" Usopp asked, flopped on the ground, his feet under Tani's knees.

"Nope," the girl answered. Franky hummed.

"Is it a super! Shade of blue?" Franky asked. Franky was on his side, the wall to his back. Tani nodded.

"Yes, but which shade of blue?" she grinned. Usopp thought hard, before opening his mouth to speak-

"Shut up!" came the angry voices of every guard in the cart. Tani pouted.

"Is it Franky's hair blue?" Usopp continued, ignoring the warning. Tani nodded.

"First try? How are you so good at this?" she asked. Usopp snickered.

"I'm a master of colour theory, many world famous artists call me often to get my advice." Usopp gloated. Tani grinned brightly, she missed-

"I said shut up!" came an angry man's voice. The kick to Tani's gut knocking the wind from her lungs. She went flying harshly into the small metal table that held a row of three den den mushi. She coughed up a storm while Usopp shrieked her name.

Usopp was kicked just as harshly, being slammed into the door to the next cart, only to be kicked a second time. He landed on Franky with a thunk, smacking painfully into the man's metal plated chest.

"Stupid pirates, can't even listen to basic instructions." the man sneered. Tani let out a shallow breath, her poor ribs... If she gets an arc without abusing that area, she's giving the author $100.

The rain prattled down the windows of the cart, the clouds a dark navy blue. Tani wouldn't be surprised if she'd only see on the red spectrum for the next half an hour... How long until the train arrives at? Where did pigeon jerk say? Whatever, she'll find out in who knows when.

"Oi, Tani-sis?" Franky called with concern. The girl looked at him and gave a weak smile, if she spoke she would cough and that's not very assuring now is it?

*puru puru puru*

A den den purred from above her. A man stood up to answer the little guy, and for good measure... He kicked Tani in the stomach, you know? Like an asshole.

"Hello, cart 6 speaking," the man answered. Tani focused on the other line.

"Do you have the prisoners?" came that cold voice. Tani instantly scowled. The man nodded.

"We do. Any special orders?" the man asked with an air of nervousness. The den den looked stoic, letting out a sigh.

"Keep the girl in perfect condition, her bones are extremely fragile. Vice admiral Delorean needs her as such," he instructed. Tani decided now was the time to be a little brat.

"Stop hitting me! Oof, oh the agony!" she shrieked dramatically. "No! Not the ribs! Anything but the ribs!" she wallowed. Usopp grew a smirk.

"You're hurting her! Oh I already see the blood and bruises. Someone call a doctor! Anyone please! She's dying!" Usopp begged pathetically. The pair having to hold back their grins.

"Save me! Oh someone save me!" she pleaded. The man on the line looked down with terror before turning back to the empty eyes of the den den mushi. All that left was a sigh.

"If I see one bruise on that girl, you will regret it." he said with cold blood, before hanging up. Tani and Usopp burst into laughter.

"The look on your face!" Tani cackled. Her legs kicking back and forth while her body rolled around like a ball. Usopp shook with his whole body as he wheezed with humour. Even Franky joined in, his laugh echoing around the chilling silence of the room.

"Can someone shut these god damn pirates up?!" one of the men shouted. The group continued to laugh. When the man on the den den, moved to kick Usopp again. Tani spoke up.

"You hurt a hair on his head, and I'm gonna smack my head into the floor and bruise the "fragile" skin," she threatened. Man is this what having power felt like? This was hilarious!

The man lowered his leg, his teeth clenched so tight his skull could shatter. The cabin falling into silence... Well it would be silent if it weren't for the commotion that could be heard in the cart behind them.

It was like a rattle? Lots of bangs and even a smashed window at some point. Clearly something was wrong, for the marines that is. Whoever the stowaway was, they packed a powerful punch.

The marines that occupied this cart, we're none the wiser. Clearly too tired and focused on their prisoners, to really pay mind to the very obvious conflict in the cart behind them. Tani decided to just wait it out. Maybe it was-

The door burst open with a flash of orange and black. The clicking of oxford shoes against the worn carpet. Tani's smile grew so wide it hurt.

"Who the hell are-"

A leg shot forward and slammed into his chin, knocking him down with one blow. The group of men jumped to their feet, all advancing, all failing. One by one, the intruder sent them flying. Some hit the windows, others the plush seating, two of them went flying through the roof. Tani couldn't help but whoop with cheer.

"Sanji!" she beamed. The chef turned to where her body laid limp, arms and upper legs tied with ropes. Sanji then noticed Usopp and someone he didn't recognise. Relief overwhelmed his systems, he was happy to see his nakama safe.

"Tani my dearest darling," Sanji said smoothly, striding towards her. "What bastard did this to you?" he questioned, lowering down to untie the ropes that bound her.

"The asshole with a pigeon," she answered. Sanji smiled at her.

"His end will be swift," he said like a ray of sunshine. Sanji then turned to the two other prisoners. "Now what to do with these two," he pondered. Tani dropped her ropes and walked over to Usopp and Franky to get started on untying them.

"What are you even doing on this train? Did you get captured too?" Usopp asked curiously, rolling his shoulders when the ropes dropped.

"I don't need to tell you," Sanji said with a playful air. Tani smacked him lightly on the head.

"Play nice... But for real, why are you on the train?" she asked herself. Sanji walked towards the den den mushi table. Picking up one of them to start a call.

*puru puru puru*

"It's Straw hat business, concerning a certain black avian woman." Sanji replied. Tani opened her eyes wide.

"Robin's here? On the train!" she blurted. Usopp was confused.

"Why would she be here? What's she got to do with CP9?"

*puru puru*

*Cachya*

"Sanji? Is that you?" came Nami's stressed voice. Sanji grinned.

"So you got my message," he spoke smoothly. The den den's eyes narrowed.

"How could I not? It was in bright pink paint, all over the station wall," she groaned. That's Sanji for you. "Anyway, what's going on? Have you found Robin yet?" Nami's voice was full of worry.

"Not yet, but I have found Tani." he replied. Nami sighed with relief.

"Luffy will be happy about that. He's been ranting and raving about her since she went missing," Nami said. Though she sounded just as relieved. "Woah!" she said. Followed by the sound of a crash.

"Nami? What's going on? Are you alright?" Sanji panicked. Nami grabbed the mic again.

"Idiots don't know how to do anything without something violently shaking." the navigator grumbled. "Luffy and Zoro just cut Aqua Lagoona, so our train could pass through." she answered.

"You have a train? I thought Puffing Tom was the only one?" Sanji questioned.

"This one's called Rockeman-"

"Burning out his fuse up here alone," Tani sang to herself. She missed the rest of Nami's statement.

"Oi Nami, who're you talking to?" said a Luffy voice.

"Sanji, he's on the Puffing Tom with Tani an-"

Nami was cut off, the den den paused for a moment, before it's face took on a totally different look.

"TANI'S WITH YOU?!" Came Luffy's voice. His shout vibrating the room. Sanji turned to Tani and held out the mic for Tani to take. She grabbed it and held it to her mouth.

"Alive and... As well as you can be after being kidnapped and kicked three times in the stomach." she said. The face of the den den looked relieved and angry at the same time.

"Where have you been?! You just vanished and we couldn't find you." Luffy asked.

"Well I heard a bell sound and decided to follow it. Lucci almost kidnapped me, but Usopp saved me from that. Then we both got kidnapped by Franky. Then we all got kidnapped by CP9 and..." she paused to catch her breath. "Wow, that's a lot of kidnapping," she chuckled at the end.

"But you're alright?" he asked with worry laced words. Tani softened her smile.

"Yes, I'm just fine. Usopp and Franky are here as well. So I've got people to keep me safe," she assured. Luffy let out a sigh of relief, before his determined and sunny demeanour returned.

"Yosh! Let's go save Robin." Luffy cheered, before the face changed over to someone else.

"Franky-bro!" came a choir of voices, men and women alike all cheering and calling for Franky. He got up from the ground and grabbed the mic.

Tani decided to turn away from that. It was mostly just Franky promising he's alright and that he'll raise hell. That average Straw hat adventure. Tani turned to Sanji.

"So what's happened while I was away?" she asked. Sanji shrugged.

"I've been split from the group since this morning. That's the first time I've gotten into contact since Zoro and Chopper split from me." he answered. "I did get to talk to Robin for a moment. She looked broken..." he said painfully. Tani grabbed both his hands and held them up.

"We're gonna save her," she promised. "Everything will work out just fine." she echoed Oscar's words.

"What now?" Franky asked. Sanji turned to look at the stranger. His soft expression turning darker as he stared at the man who caused a rift in the crew.

Tani could sense the tension and decided it was her job to fix it.

"Let's focus on saving Robin," she said. Franky fist bumped the air.

"Robin-sis? Heard her story, I super! wanna help as much as I can." Franky declared. Tani whooped at that, Sanji couldn't stay mad.

"I can't help..."

All eyes turned to Usopp. Shock drawn over their faces. Sanji was the first to respond.

"How? Robin's been your-"

"She was my nakama, this is Straw hat business. I'm not a straw hat anymore." Usopp said simply. Tani felt her heart drop... That's so...

"Forget it," Sanji sneered. Dragging a chair over to the latched opening in the middle of the cabin roof. "He's right..." he said.

*click*

The latch door creaked open. Sanji was the first to exit, landing on the rain drowned rooftop. Tani decided to check her bag before jumping to the rooftop.

Just her luck! She'd packed her wavers. She slid them on with great speed, before following behind Sanji. Franky helped her lift herself through the opening, Sanji grabbing her arms and pulled her out. The girl gave Usopp a dissapointed expression. Who didn't even flinch under the gaze

Franky jumped through the opening and landed with a super! Pose. Sanji rolled his eyes. Not on board with Franky just yet.

The group stood up there in a pondering silence. Thinking over what to do... Tani was too distracted with Usopp's attitude.

"Oi!" came a man's voice. Spotting a marine man climbing through the latch door. Sanji prepared to attack-

"Metallic star!"

The marine was knocked in the back of the head. His eyes rolling back at the heavy blow to his brain. He dropped back into the cabin bellow.

The group turned to face a masked man, his red cape flowing with the violent wind. In his hand was a large sling shot.

Tani's face lit up.

Usopp was going to help!

"Greetings. My dear friend Usopp, informed me of your plight." he spoke in a deeper voice. His tone far more polite and professional. Disconnected from familial feelings. He'd taken on a whole new persona. "Allow me to introduce myself," he gave a bow.

"I'm the one and only. King of the snipers." he lifted himself back up, only to pull a dramatic pose.

"Sogeking!"

The three of them looked at each other and shrugged. Not really wanting to call Usopp out if he was going to help anyway.

"Welcome to the rescue team, Soggyking," Sanji teased. Clearly grateful for the turn around. Sogeking stomped his foot a couple times in annoyance.

"It's Sogeking! So-ge-king," he corrected. Sanji rolled his eyes playfully, turning back to Tani.

"Stay by me alright? Luffy will kill me if you get stolen again." he grinned. Tani nodded.

"What's the plan?"

...

Tani held onto Franky's shoulders in a messy piggyback. Her feet were too slippery on the carts, and Sanji was busy holding Sogeking in place for him to take the shot at the cart connectors.

The plan was to remove the already confirmed empty carts, and travel via the rooftops. That way they can avoid unneeded conflict. The only downside was Tani's wavers weren't built for slippery surfaces. However if she ended up falling overboard, she could float back up to safety. So a necessary precaution.

"Shot... Fired!" Sogeking called out. The small ball smacking into the bolt joining the carts to the main train. The bolt burst, unclicking and releasing. A group of men, staring a zombie looking man that resembled Julius Caesar. All stared on in horror at the train that left them behind.

"Three carts down. Five to go," Sanji stated.

"Should we split up?" Tani asked. "That way we can cover more cabins faster." she explained. Sanji shook his head.

"We don't know how strong the occupants of the train are. I can't even risk your safety. My conscience won't allow it." Sanji said. Tani rolled her eyes with affection, knowing where he's coming from.

"Well let's start with the cabin we're on," Sogeking suggested. Sanji hopped down to the balcony part, holding his arms out for Franky to drop Tani into.

The room was full of government agents. Which the group took out with no effort. Sanji and Sogeking were surprised at the reveal of Franky's cyborg identity. Sogeking showing great excitement at the information.

Tani felt great! The amount of ease with which she could dispatch these guys? The Tani from a month or so ago would be so impressed. A great pride bubbled in her chest.

"One down, four to go," Tani sang. Practically zipping to the next door. The boys followed her with confidence.

Opening the new door, the theme appeared to be a kitchen. The walls lined with cabinets and cooking equipment. Splash back and tiles adorning the room.

At the centre of it all. Stood a stout man with rat like features, on his feet were a pair of roller skates. He was springy in the step, gliding towards them with a cheeky smile that made Tani feel gross just looking at it.

"Little pesky mice? Nonono that's not good," he wheezed. Voice a pitchy mess that can only be found in prepubescent boys. "Can't let you out of my kitchen." he squeaked.

Sanji looked down right offended by the state of the kitchen, and the attire this man wore was down right inappropriate! The blonde chef was taking this as a personal offense... So much for avoiding unneeded battles.

"Go on ahead, I'll hold this pipsqueak who dares to don the title of chef." Sanji commanded. Tani and Sogeking were hesitant to move, but Franky wasn't. The cyborg scooped the pair up and made a break from the door at the end of the cabin.

The ratty man went to block them, but Sanji jumped to action. His leg slamming into his opponents stomach, he continued to pound into it like mincemeat.

Franky opened the door, the howling of wind growing violent by the minute. The door shut with a slam, the last image Tani saw was Sanji kicking the guy down.

In other words, he would be fine.

Franky jumped onto the roof with little effort. Both Sogeking and Tani still resting on his shoulders.

A loud bang from the roof below them, the metal contorting as blows were dealt beneath it. Oh great! Another enemy.

Franky dropped both his companions, the banging continued.

"Run to the other cabins. I'll hold whoever this is off." he instructed. The pair nodded. Sogeking held out his hand for Tani to hold, which she took and held on tight.

Sogeking took off like a flash, Tani trailing behind as dead weight compared to his speed. They heard the sound of the roof bursting behind them. The enemy was none the wiser that they even existed.

Sogeking continued until they made it to cart one. Why? Because he was too nervous to be around whatever beast was fighting Franky. They were already gonna check this cart anyway so why not just do it now?

The sniper king came to a grinding halt. Tani slammed into his back, knocking him off balance. He toppled over, landing stomach first into the cabins roof. The loud thunk alerting the long occupant.

*ring*

Tani's eyes widened a fraction.

"She's in here," she realised. Turning to stare at the emotionless yellow sun mask that covered Usopp's face. "I can hear her bell." Tani said while pointing at the bell around her neck. "All my friends have them... Actually! I haven't given you one yet." Tani gave a grin. Sogeking shoulders tensed.

"That won't be necessary ma'am," he said politely. Tani insisted, dragging a bell out of her bag and handing it to him.

"You can tie it to your sling shot," she suggested. Sogeking gave a huffed laugh.

"Of course, I'll cherish our friendship forever." he said with a bow. Tani faced him a playful punch to the shoulder.

"Let's save Robin."

...

Well this isn't a situation that Tani ever expected to be in.

Laying under the bench seating of a train cabin, while her partner was pretending to be the arms of the woman they seeked to rescue... Yeah that's going in the books for top 10 weirdest situations.

"Can't you see I'm busy minding my own business," Robin said coldly. Her voice a tone that sounded dreadful. "I haven't made any escape attempts. Just like CP9 requested." she stated. Usopp's arms crossing over her chest.

The guard gave a firm nod, Tani looked at his shoes and felt the temptation to tie his laces together... But then he'd just trip over and see her there.

"Then I'll take my leave." the man said firmly. Turning on his heel and walking out the door to the second cart. The door shutting with a click. Tani deflated like a balloon, the tension leaving her body as she wriggled herself out from under the bench.

"You need to leave now," Robin said with little emotion in her voice. Like she'd never met these two before. Tani just grinned at her.

"No way, you're coming with us." Tani said, grabbing Robins hands and pulling her off the chair. The woman looked away from the bright, hopeful pools of green that filled Tani's eyes.

"I can't..." Robin refused. Pulling her hand away. The light from Tani's eyes dulled, it hurt Robins heart... It was for her own good... For all of their good. "I can't go back with you all... Just forget about me," she said with a hollow tone.

"We're not abandoning you." Tani declared. Sogeking tugged at Tani's arm.

"Someone's coming." he said with urgency. Tani ignored him.

"Is this about what ice guy said? About you destroying everything you touch?" she asked. Robin reminded silent. "Because that sounds like a load of poppycock if you ask me." Tani spat.

"Tani-"

"We've been looking for you since you vanished." Tani continued. "Because you're a Straw hat pirate,"

"Tani-"

"You're our nakama!"

"TANI!"

"What?" she turned to face Sogeking. Who was pointing towards the now open door... Her eyes wide with horror as she stared at the imposing figure of-

"How annoying," Lucci sighed. Leaning against the doorway.

"Leave them out of this," Robin said. "I was just asking them to leave." she said with a bite to her words. Lucci took a silent step forward. Tani and Sogeking taking steps back.

"Special orders. The girl's coming with us." he declared. Robin's eyes widened with horror.

"That wasn't part of the deal!" she down right roared. Standing in front of the younger pair with a glare at the man before her. "The deal was, I come quietly, and you let my crew go." she informed. Tani and Sogeking held their breaths.

She was sacrificing herself.

"Higher orders declare that the girl, is far too dangerous to the government, to be left to her own devices." Lucci said with a bored expression.

Sogeking spotted Robin's hands being held out under her cloak. Her fingers motioning for him to hand her something... Right!

He dropped a couple of compact smoke bombs in her hand. Which she curled her fingers around. Sogeking grabbed Tani by the arm.

"Then the deals not being fulfilled." Robin growled.

The woman threw her hands up and slammed the smoke bombs to the ground. The room filled with a misty smoke. Sogeking wasted no time throwing Tani out of the room. He climbed out himself, and held his hand out for Robin to grab. She smiled sweetly at him.

"Derashishishi~"

She slammed the window closed.

"ROBIN!" Sogeking screamed, but she faded into the misty room. Tani felt herself tearing up.

"We-we have to move!" Sogeking stated. He could already sense that Lucci was approaching. Tani nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. She pointed at her back.

"Get on!" she demanded. Sogeking climbed onto her back, her foot slipped a little. She clicked her heels.

Just as she went speeding over the gap between cart one and two, Lucci clawed his way onto the roof. Staring at the pair as they disappeared. The beginnings of a smirk bloomed onto his face. This was fun.

Tani spots Sanji and Franky standing on cabin three. She let's out a scream.

"Cut the cables to cart two!" she begged. Sanji jumped to action, the sound of a distressed woman being enough to spur him on. Franky held onto Sanji with his right arm, using it as a safety rope. Sanji jumped over the edge and slammed his foot down on the connectors. Slicing them in two.

Tani watched as the third cart pulled away. Feta building up in her gut as the gap between them widened.

"You can do this Tani," Sogeking whispered to her. She took a shaking breath.

Taking the leap of faith, she soars.

The world slows down, water coating her face as she holds back her fearful sobs. Robin was still on that train... She was still in the hands of the enemy.

She'd almost made it!

Tani's foot was caught. The force of which, jerked her backwards. Sogeking flipped over her, his back landing on the top of cabin three. Tani turned to face the horror of her predicament.

Lucci held her by the ankle, he himself was floating effortlessly in the sky with that annoying, bored expression. Though a shimmer of amusement at the girls failure seemed to rouse some form of emotion. Tani kicked and shouted. Her voice blocking out the sounds of her companions.

"Let her go!" Sogeking demanded loading something into his slingshot. Lucci simply ignored him and jumped back towards the second cart. His feet bouncing on the air like a stone skipping water.

A loud snapping sound rang out. Two long strips flying towards the runaway cabins. Tani stated at the busty woman from earlier as she held the three cabins and dragged them back towards the moving train.

The horn and square nose guys both hopped across. The gap, using the same sky hopping move that Lucci was. Flipping onto the roof top to face the three intruders.

"Bring Cutty Flam alive. The other two are worthless." Lucci instructed. Tani had to watch as the two of them started attacking. Keeping up with all of their movements, hitting harder, dodging better.

It was like watching a slaughter.

At some point, bull guy had slammed Sanji's body into the weak, metal roof. Smashing through it, their bodies disappearing through the tear.

Tani continued to flail, contorting herself to angle her mouth towards his wrist. If she could just bite it, the shock would be enough to-

"If you attempt what you're doing, I will break all of your teeth." he said smoothly. Landing gracefully on cart two. "Once Blueno and Kaku are back, let go of the carriages." he spoke to the woman. Who nodded, tightening her grip on the carts.

Lucci tossed Tani into a shoulder hold. Her arms and legs kicking at him while he walked straight through the long walkway towards Robin's location.

"You're gonna regret this, you stupid pigeon jerk!" Tani roared. Lucci stepped over the knocked out form of Nero... Maybe he was dead. Honestly he didn't care. The man wasn't worthy of the CP9 name.

The pair reached the first cabin. Lucci tossed Tani inside, before the girl could recover. He slammed the door shut and a click was heard. Tani jumped to her feet and checked the door.

Yep! It was locked.

She slammed banged against it with her fists. The panic was starting to rise. This guy was a Luffy level villain, there was no way she would be able to escape without the Straw hats.

What if she was dead by the time they showed up?

No... Wait... No Oscar said everything would work out?

Yeah but that was in the original time line! Not this one that she could have royally messed up!

Oscar knows what they're talking about! Don't doubt them stupid brain.

"Tani?" came a weak voice. Tani turned to face a very tired looking Robin. Her hands being cuffed with that seastone stuff. Tani ran towards her.

"Robin," she sobbed, sliding to the ground and hugging Robin tightly. The woman leaned into the embrace.

"I'm sorry," Robin said with a quiet tone. Her voice shaking, as if on the brink of tears but not quite there. Tani clutched tighter.

"Don't apologise for something you haven't done. This is all that stupid pigeons fault." Tani huffed. Robin laughed pathetically.

"But now you're caught... The government is cruel to to those who pose a threat..." she said in a faraway tone. Her mind drifting elsewhere.

"Luffy will save us," Tani said with confidence. Robin looked up with a humoured grin.

"This isn't a simple game. Not like last time," she said. Tani shook her head.

"Everything is a game for Luffy. He won't stop at anything to win his crew back," she smiled. Despite feeling nothing but fear and anxiety over this situation. "He can't be the pirate king without everyone there... And you're a part of that," Tani reminded.

Robin burst into her funny laugh. A mixture of pure anguish, bliss, hurt and hope fuelled the sound.

"Your faith is inspiring," Robin beamed. "But someone like me... Doesn't deserve to exist," she said pitifully. Tani gave her a deadpan look.

"Are... Are you a moron?" she asked bluntly. Robin laughed.

"You wouldn't understand. You've lived a life of peace... I've never known such a feeling,"

"What about when you joined the crew? Seemed to have an awful lot of fun then."

Robin paused...

"We love you, just like you love us. We can't do this without you." Tani reassured.

"I-"

A door opened up, the green one that the horn guy makes. On the other side, Tani spotted two bodies bleeding out. She stood up to rush the door, but the space was filled with a large torso and flamboyant colours.

Franky landed with a crash into the cabin, while the door man closed the entrance before anyone had the chance to make a run for it.

There goes another escape route...

"Ow! That was so not super." dreamy grumbled. Looking up at his new environment, his gaze softening at the sight of the two women. "Tani-sis... You're Robin, right?" he asked. Robin nodded.

"Oh, Robin." Tani stood up, holding her arms up to present the cyborg. "This is Franky. Hes-" she paused to throw her arms up in a dramatic pose, "A super! Friend," she declared. Franky gave the widest grin a man who just got caught could give.

"Ow! That's me! It's super! Nice to meet you Robin-sis," he stated. Robin gave them a warm smile. They were both adorable.

"Hey Franky," Tani prompted. The cyborg looked at her. "Why does the government want you anyway?" she asked curiously. They've got the time, might as well spend it discussing their crimes against humanity.

"I have these super dangerous blueprints for a weapon," he responded. Tani's eyes widened. "It's a boat that has enough power to destroy islands." he said with a serious tone. Tani nodded.

"Yeah... Yeah I can see why they'd wanna capture you... Hey Robin-"

"I'm the only one capable of deciphering the language of the blue prints. As well as the poneglyphs that detail of the void century."

"What's the void century?"

"It's unknown. The details have been wiped from our history... My dream is..." she paused, "Was... To discover it again." she said with a weak sparkle in her eye. Tani pondered for a bit.

"My world kinda has something like that." she replied. Franky was thrown for a loop at the odd wording. "We call it the dark ages. Because all the records for it were lost... I think it lasted 1000 years? I'm not sure. Never paid much attention in history." she shrugged.

Robin looked fascinated. Tani had a whole new world, rich with history and cultures that this one didn't. If only...

If only she could live to explore it.

"Tani-sis?" Franky asked with a confused tone.

"What's up?"

"What do you mean, "My world"? Are you and alien or something?" he asked.

"Kinda? I'm from another dimension. A world without pirates." she explained. Franky looked awestruck.

"That's super! Cool," he said simply. Such an easy person to please!

"Franky," Robin summoned. The man turned to look at the woman. "Do you have the blue prints? For the weapon with you?" she asked curiously.

Franky looked around with suspicion. Not at the women, but in case those CP9 bastards were spying.

When the coast was clear. He opened his torso up-

"THATS SO COOL!" Tani cheered. Franky enjoyed the excitement Tani brought. He typed in a code to the side of his cavity, a four digit code. The safe popped open and out flopped a massive stack of aged papers. Tani and Robin shuffled forward.

"Tani, could you be a dear and hold the pages for me?" Robin said with a glow to her features. A life in her that was missing only moments ago.

The page was full of strange rune like symbols that danced along the page. Labelling parts, instructing other things, the only thing Tani could make out was the picture of the boat itself.

The shape was nothing short of a war machine, more advanced than anything she'd ever witnessed in real life. That's saying something, her country was the most advanced in warfare technology... Not something to be proud of, but that's life.

"Hmm," Robin muttered to herself. Lifting her gaze from the page in her Tani's hand. "This is truly a horrifying weapon. Should it fell into the government's hands. We'd surely meet a gruesome demise." she said with a pleasant smile. Franky barked a laugh.

"That's super! Creepy." he grinned. Robin smiled wider, turning back to the papers while Tani turned the page.

The three of them sat there together in a comfortable silence. Robin read through the pages, documenting every little detail into her memory. Franky would keep an eye out for the CP9 creeps, and Tani could simply turn the pages and look in awe at the pictures.

Once hitting the final page, Robin sighed with content.

"You may take it back now, Franky." she said. The cyborg did as she told, grabbing the blueprints and storing them safely in himself. "I've learned so much." Robin couldn't help but shine.

"It looks scary," Tani commented. "So many different sketches for big canons and other stuff," she sighed. "I can see why the government wants it." Franky rubbed her back comfortingly.

The room fell back into silence. Tani grabbing out her Walkman to distract herself. Franky looked at it with interest.

"Yo! What's that?" he asked. Pointing at the small rectangle. Tani looked up at him with great pride.

"Feast your eyes on one of earth's greatest creations," she held it up in the air. "The mighty Walkman!" she announced. Franky wanted a better look.

"It plays music, I have a cassette tape. That's this thing right here." she pointed at the item. "And let's you listen to all the songs on it." Franky held his hand out for a closer look. Tani held it away from his massive hands.

"Franky, I'm sure your hands are very intimidating. That item holds great value to Tani, she never goes anywhere without it." Robin clarified. Franky gave a wave of the hand.

"Ow, my bad Tani-sis." he apologised. Tani waved it off. She decided to embrace the interest, taking the headphones out of the port and playing the music out loud. Might as well go the empty room with something pleasant.

...

"And then, the boy rides his bike, with the alien in the basket-"

The train came to a grinding halt. The windows showing none of the dreadful storm clouds. Just a sunny skies and a dread-fuelled tension. Tani shoved everything back onto her bag, leaving her wavers on.

The door clicked open. Lucci and the other members of CP9 flooded inside. Chains dangling from their hands. It didn't take long for them to tie the three of them up.

The trio were escorted off the train, the island was-

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, GOD?!" Tani shouted. Earning an array of concerned looks.

Of course this island was a sky island! Of course it floated over an abyss to hell! Of course they had to bring her here after she begged! Begged! For an island underwater. Thanks a lot God! You're a sick lad.

"Is... Is she alright?" square nose asked with genuine curiosity. Tani just deadpan stared at him, he felt a chill up his spine from the shear hatred in her eyes.

"This island is on my hit list of islands I would like to see destroyed... And it's not because I'm about to be imprisoned for the rest of my mortal years." she answered with venom dripped words. Kaku decided he was going to step away from her.

The walk through the plaza was boring. There was no life here, just a bunch of empty ruins that could have been homes in another life.

It was the tower and draw bridge that really caught her eyes. This was some Disney princess in peril kind of stuff. All she needed was a Prince Charming to whisk her away, and live happily ever after.

As they crossed the bridge, Lucci pulled out a den den mushi with a weird leather binding over the face.

The thing rang for only a moment before an annoying voice called out.

"Lucci? Is that you?"

"Spandam, we have Nico Robin, Cutty Flam and Tanisha Lowe in custody. Heading your way now," Lucci informed briefly. The man on the other side clapped happily.

"Excellent work! Hurry up! I wanna see their pathetic little faces." the den den grinned with a masochistic intent.

Lucci only hummed before hanging up. Leading the trio up, up, up the spiralling stairs. Only the tapping of shoes and heels could be heard echoing back in this palace of death. Franky seemed to fidget in places, while Robin kept her head down with shame.

The walking stopped before a door. Lucci stopped them from following in, CP9 walked into the room. Leaving the prisoners behind.

Franky let out an angry growl.

"That bastard is in there..." he hissed. Tani looked up.

"Who?" she asked.

"The monster who murdered Tom..." he replied with burning words.

Oh.

Franky had mentioned on the train ride there, that Tom was his and Iceberg's mentor. A father figure to top all fathers. The man even made the Puffing Tom, as well as the late pirate kings boat. He sounded like a wonderful man.

He was sentenced to execution, because of the man in that room.

Tani bumped her shoulder into Franky's arm, giving him a supportive smile.

"You should bite him," she suggested as a joke. Franky gave a bark of a laugh.

"I think you're on to something Tani-sis," he smirked. Robin couldn't help but gaze fondly at these two. How she wished, all her life for moments like this.

She wouldn't ever get them... Not after this.

"Bring the prisoners in," the annoying voice from the den den called out.

The doors opened to reveal a room full of men (and one woman) in the slick black uniforms. At the centre was a hideous man with a leather mask, puffy purple hair, and a fantasy style outfit that clashed with the stylish unity of CP9.

He wandered over with the biggest shit eating grin. Spitting insults, at Franky and Robin. Though he didn't say anything to Tani so that was nice-

"Is this pipsqueak really one of those bell things? She's so pathetic I can't even look at her,"

She spoke too soon... She hated this guy.

He stood in front of them. Nothing but satisfaction on his expression.

"Cutty-"

Franky unhinged his jaw and bit down on Spandam's stupid head.

The room erupted in laughter, even CP9 was cackling. Spandam calling out commands for someone to get Franky off him.

Lucci did so.

Slamming Franky into the wall behind them. All laughter died down after the attack.

"You and that Iceberg pest, have been nothing but pains in the ass." Spandam complained. Stalking towards Franky with hatred. "Ever since that disgusting Fishman Tom, Iceberg gained power, allied himself with the government. To the point that we couldn't touch him." he said with distaste.

"Spandam?" Blueno said. The man looked at the bull man, "The receiver on your den den mushi... It's not connected." he pointed out.

"Well fix it! I'm having a moment right now," Spandam said dismissively.

"Iceberg's position made him untouchable... That is until that demon child walked appeared." he said, pointing at Robin. Who hunched her back at the scrutiny. "Setting up an assassination was smooth sailing from here-"

"Help! He's taking out every unit thrown his way! He's a one man army!" a distressed voice screamed from the den den that Blueno had just reconnected.

Tani laughed.

Spandam turned to the humoured girl, anger boiling under his skin. He stalked towards the girl and slapped her on the cheek, it didn't really hurt. So she continued to laugh.

"Blueno! Deal with the issue now!" Spandam commanded. The man nodded and spawned a door, disappearing into it.

"Why are you laughing you pathetic excuse of an-"

"Luffy's here," she announced. "You're all screwed now," she grinned.

"Luffy? Who the hell is that?!" Spandam exclaimed. Tani just laughed more.

"Your worst nightmare," she answered sweetly.

Robin and Franky exchanged looks. Tani continued to smile in the face of danger.

"He can't be pirate king without everyone on his crew," she stated factually. Turning to stare at Robin.

"Everyone,"

A/N:) wow! I've had a bit of an influx of people reading and even some reviews! So thanks a bunch to all of you. Sorry if I don't answer any of your questions. I feel a bit too shy to dm answers, so if you leave a review with a question, tell me if you're OK with a dmed response :) I do read every review I receive, my dumbass has just gotten really shy thanks to the pandemic giving my anxiety a spike (Which sucksssss) anyway! Thank you all so much. Have a lovely day(or night) love you!


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